Ecogas to Be Privatized
The Colombian government announced in February it will sell Ecogas, a subsidiary of state oil company Ecopetrol, as part of a privatization program that includes the sale of the following five electricity-generating companies: Empresa de Energia de Cundinamarca; Electrificadora del Meta; Empresa de Energia de Boyaca; Electrificadora de Santander; and Centrales Electricas del Norte de Santander. Ecogas operates the largest network of natural gas transmission in Colombia.
U.S. and Colombian Energy Companies
to Develop New Partnerships
The Colombian Ministry of Mines and Energy and the U.S. Department of Energy will host the Colombian Oil and Gas Investment Conference in Cartagena, Colombia. This event is the result of a discussion between Presidents on U.S. investment in the Colombian oil and gas sector..
Deputy Secretary of Energy and Assistant U.S. Secretary of Energy for Policy and International Affairs will lead a delegation of U.S. energy companies at the conference. They will meet with Colombian counterparts to explore the potential for new opportunities and investment in the oil and gas sectors, including exploration and production.
Energy is today one of the largest, most productive and dynamic sectors of the Colombian economy. In fact, Colombia’s largest customer for both oil and coal is the United States. The U.S.-Colombian partnership has strengthened in recent years as the United States increasingly looks for new ways to meet its growing energy needs, and Colombia seeks to expand its energy sector with new investments in exploration, infrastructure development and production.
President to Visit China
Colombian President will lead a state visit to China. Foreign Minister, Finance Minister, and Commerce, Industry and Tourism Minister, together with Colombian businessmen, will travel with the president with the goal of enhancing relations with China, mainly in bilateral trade and investment.
Progress Made in Eighth Round of
U.S.-Andean Free Trade Negotiations
The eighth round of free trade talks between the United States and Colombia, Ecuador and Peru concluded in Washington D.C. The negotiations were smaller in scale than previous rounds and focused on issues which require longer and more specific work on substantive and technical isses, including agriculture, intellectual property, services, investment, rules of origin, textiles and institutional issues. According to Colombia’s chief trade negotiator, there was progress in all negotiating tables.
The textile negotiations addressed rules of origin and safeguards and took place in Miami. The agricultural discussions focused on market access and were carried out in bilateral format between each of the Andean countries and the United States. During the agriculture bilateral meeting, the U.S. provided specific proposals on corn, wheat, barley and other cereals. Colombia tabled proposals on beans, tobacco and rice. General discussions were held on cotton and oil seeds, and discussions also advanced on dairy.
Negotiators agreed to hold meetings before the next round to advance agreement on certain issues still outstanding.