The Colombian state regulator of electricity, oil and gas markets, known as the Comisión de Regulación de Energía y Gas (CREG), has just published a new set of guidelines as part of its tariff regime update, known as resolution 160 of 2020.

CREG has announced that the guidelines in the tariff regime will introduce and require new “efficiency elements” to apply to both the transport of gas and supply chain activities. It also proposes that the new payment systems being introduced, could enable users to secure pipeline capacity rights independent of entry and exit points, thus enabling easier gas market transactions.

Also, in related news, CREG issued new provisions for a protective mechanism that aims to reduce the potential risk of large-scale system failures resulting from its 200 kV interconnection with its neighbour Ecuador. The new scheme, known by its Spanish acronym as ESA, will enable the two country’s grids to be separated in the event of any large-scale power interruptions, without having to prove there was an operational risk to grid operators.

These changes come as Colombia’s government faces the prospect of declining oil and gas output and the current debate on whether to develop the country’s shale oil and gas resources.

Editorial note: In an earlier version of this text, the name of the country Colombia was accidentally written as Columbia.