Published by Revista Panorama Industrial (Ingenieria, Industrias, Mineria, Mineria, Energia, Procesos) on 12 May, 2012

Chinese energy companies and representatives of the Chinese government expressed their interest in buying Colombian metallurgical coal, given its high calorific value, informed the Minister of Mines and Energy, Mauricio Cárdenas, who is accompanying the President of the Republic, Juan Manuel Santos, on a state visit to the Asian nation.

In a meeting with Chinese companies, President Juan Manuel Santos indicated that Colombia could maintain an oil production close to two million barrels. “We are going to reach one million barrels per day very soon, and if we manage to keep up the pace of exploration and finding oil in the future, as we have found it in the past, we will be able to multiply that million to one and a half or two million barrels. This will place us in a very privileged position as oil exporters”, said Santos.

This Thursday, Minister Cárdenas met in Beijing with the president of the National Development and Reform Commission, Zhang Ping, and with representatives of China’s Energy and Gas Bureau.

Minister Mauricio Cardenas also participated in the Colombia-China Business Forum in Beijing, which was organized by Proexport. In this meeting, the interest of Chinese oil, mining and service companies that want to establish business with Colombia was evidenced.

“In terms of coal, there is more interest in metallurgical coal, which is produced inCundinamarca, Boyacá and the Santanderes. This is a mineral that has a great calorific value and a high price in the international market”, said the head of the carteraminero-energy sector.

One of the strategic issues discussed in the framework of the meetings has to do with the infrastructure for the transportation of the mineral, particularly a railroad to take the coal from the center of the country to the ports. According to Minister Cárdenas, this is a strategic matter and of maximum public interest, and in this sense, he has been in conversations with the China Development Bank and the China Investment Corporation to participate in the development of this project.

In addition to this initiative, a preliminary agreement was signed on Wednesday with the China Development Bank to provide financing for an ambitious project to transport crude oil through the Pacific Pipeline. This infrastructure is intended to allow Venezuelan and Colombian oil to be exported to China and other Asian markets.

(El Espectador)