ARPEL was part of the 12th. International Gas and Energy Forum (FIGAS) with the participation of the Executive Secretary, Miguel Moyano, in the panel “Situation of the gas markets in the region”, held virtually on December 1.

The panel was also made up of Felipe Villegas, Director Navitas Consultores; Alejandro Ponce, president of the CBHE, and Álvaro Ríos Roca, managing partner of Gas Energy Latam de Bolivia. The moderation was in charge of Yussef Akly, president of the SPE Bolivian Chapter.

Moyano focused his dissertation on presenting the current natural gas scenario at an international and regional level, and the impacts that COVID-19 is having on investments in hydrocarbon exploration and production, as well as alternatives to promote recovery based on the experience that the Hydrocarbon Agencies of the Region presented in the series of Webinars that ARPEL organized in this regard during 2020.

Among the main messages, the following stand out: Aim for greater regional energy integration that allows better use of the infrastructure and optimizes the use of gas resources, giving greater market options for gas producers and managing high seasonality in consumption; government-industry cooperation, the search for common paths, and the capacity for dialogue and adaptation, and the emphasis on improving the recovery factors of mature fields as a low-risk alternative to increase production in the short term.

For their part, Alejandro Ponce and Álvaro Ríos Roca spoke about the challenges and opportunities for investment and the development of natural gas in Bolivia, as well as alternatives for the search for win-win solutions in cooperation between companies, government and all interested parties.

Meanwhile, Felipe Villegas presented a detailed analysis of the natural gas market in Colombia and its investment prospects, both in the upstream and in the regasification terminal at the Port of Buenaventura in the Colombian Pacific.