National massification of natural gas in the hands of the Plenary

The plenum of Congress of the republic is getting ready to debate today the prediction approved by the Energy and Mines Commission on bill 679, sent in November by the Executive, which would allow the use of the Energy Security System (SISE) and expand the resources of the Energy Social Inclusion Fund (FISE), in order to develop natural gas massification works in the short term and on a national scale.

Among the main modifications that the commission led by the actionist Carlos Alva Rojas proposed to the autograph, is that the promotion by the Ministry of Energy and Mines (Minem) for gas network construction projects will not fall directly on Petroperu, but will be developed through public tenders in which the private sector also participates. Likewise, it contemplates that the Fuel Inventory Agency proposed by the Government may only include warehouses for hydrocarbons, LPG or oil that belong to the State, or those that can be built with the FISE.

What did manage to remain in the final scheme was the request for a single tariff for natural gas throughout the entire territory, which should be implemented through a cross-subsidy mechanism. They also agree that priority should be given to the execution of new projects in areas where there is no network infrastructure to serve the most vulnerable users.

The day before, the President of the Council of Ministers himself, Hannibal Torressaid during the parliamentary investiture of his cabinet that it is expected to reach 6.4 million beneficiaries of overcrowding in 2022 alone. In this sense, he stated that the inclusion of these new 250,000 users (which will reach 1,700,000 home connections) is subject to the “joint effort between the Executive and the Legislative.”

“As our goal is to change the energy matrix, it is not possible for the citizens of the regions where the gas is extracted to pay such a high price for this good, The Government will finalize the massification project through a pipeline network in two producing regionsCusco and Ucayali, and five Andean mountains, Ayacucho, Huancavelica, Junín, Apurímac and Puno”, he stressed.

In the opinion of various specialists consulted by this newspaper, the modification of the original proposal is positive to the extent that, finally, the massification of the Camisea gasalmost 18 years after its inauguration and with a scope that has benefited more than 85% only to the citizens of Lima.

common slogan

However, what can happen today in plenary with the new approach for the massification of gas will depend on the agreements that can be reached within each bench.

For example, the approval of the opinion in committee, which ended with 10 votes in favor, 5 against and 3 abstentions, did not receive the consent of congressmen from Fuerza Popular and Avanza País, although it did from Renovación Popular, through Javier Padilla, like the majority of the Acción Popular bloc. On the other hand, the Peru Libre bloc, the main promoter, voted almost entirely in favor, with the exception of congresswoman Margot Palacios.

More state companies

Petroperú proposed the division of its investment units or, failing that, the creation of another state company for the mass use of gas. In an interview with the newspaper El Sombrero, the general manager, Hugo Chavez Arevalobelieved that the financial statements of the oil company cannot be mixed with the expenses that installing the new gas pipelines would imply.