2024-09-03 04:24:41
The Office of the Comptroller General of the Republic has revealed a significant delay in the payment of subsidies to companies that provide public energy services, a situation that could trigger rationing and even the suspension of electricity supply in areas such as the Caribbean Coast, Nariño, Chocó and Puerto Carreño (Vichada).
This scenario would affect more than 10 million people, putting the country’s energy stability in jeopardy.
The main cause of this crisis is the delay in budget allocation by the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit.which has prevented the Ministry of Mines and Energy from making the corresponding payments to the service providers. This situation, which is aggravated by the lack of visible actions by the Superintendency of Residential Public Services and the Superintendency of Industry and Commerce, jeopardizes the continuity of the electric service in vast regions of the country.
The Comptroller’s Office has emphasized that the situation is critical, pointing out that the failure to pay subsidiescoupled with the revenues not collected during the pandemic due to the “tariff option”, and the debts of the network operators with the wholesale market, are generating an environment of instability in the energy sector. This lack of decision by the national Government could lead to a collapse of the electric service, with serious consequences for essential services such as health, education and commerce, among others.
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The control body has made an urgent call to the Government and the entities involved to take actionimmediate measures to ensure regular payment of subsidies and stability of the electricity supply. According to the Comptroller’s Office, it is essential to act quickly and effectively to prevent this crisis from becoming a larger problem.
In addition, the Comptroller’s Office has recalled that it had already warned about these risks in previous studies.highlighting the importance of energy security and reliability, especially in the Caribbean region. In 2022, subsidy payments and payment of consumption had been identified as critical aspects. for the sustainability of the service, and now, the lack of action on these key points threatens to paralyze several regions of the country.
Finally, the Comptroller’s Office has warned local authorities about the need to ensure the appropriation of sufficient resources for the payment of public services. Failure to do so could result in disciplinary sanctions, as this omission may constitute a serious breach of public finances.
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