Colombia orders gas rationing after SPEC LNG technical failure

The Colombian government has ordered programmed natural gas rationing following a significant technical failure at the SPEC LNG regasification plant in Cartagena. The malfunction has temporarily reduced the facility's capacity to convert imported liquefied natural gas into a gaseous state for national distribution, dropping from 475 million cubic feet per day to 400 million cubic feet per day.

The Ministry of Mines and Energy, in coordination with the National Gas Operation Council (CNO Gas), established a priority hierarchy for the remaining supply. Essential users, including households, hospitals, schools, and mass transit systems, will receive priority. This is followed by thermal power plants critical for the national electricity supply, and then industries that support domestic refineries. Other contracted users will receive gas only as availability permits.

This contingency highlights vulnerabilities in Colombia's energy market. Due to declining domestic field production, imported gas has become increasingly vital, accounting for approximately 34% of the supply as of August. The technical issue at SPEC LNG, the country's sole regasification infrastructure, has created a supply gap that necessitates these administrative measures to prevent a total shortage of essential demand.