The city of Barranquilla hosted the 2025 Naturgas Congress, organized by the Colombian Natural Gas Association (Naturgas). The congress brought together industry leaders, government authorities, investors, and international experts in a key forum for dialogue on the present and future of natural gas as an integral part of the energy transition.
Representing the Latin American and Caribbean Energy Organization (OLACDE), María Alejandra Garzón Sánchez, Technical Consultant, took part in the Technical Conference on Methane Emissions, where she highlighted the challenges facing countries in the region in incorporating this gas into national inventories for the hydrocarbons sector. “The Biennial Transparency Reports show the challenges in incorporating methane emissions into national oil and gas sector inventories. Joining institutional and sectoral efforts is key to their continuous improvement,” she said.
In this context, OLACDE announced the upcoming launch of the Methane Community of Practice (COEMLAC), an initiative that seeks to energize the technical knowledge ecosystem and promote effective solutions for emissions mitigation in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Likewise, Esteban Kiper, OLACDE’s natural gas expert, took part in panels on energy investment in the region, noting that the boom in renewable energy and the expansion of the oil & gas sector have established Latin America and the Caribbean as a key player in global energy security.
“The region has diversified its energy matrix and strengthened its strategic role thanks to enormous resource potential. However, the saturation of transmission systems and social and environmental challenges require us to think about new strategies for expanding sustainable investment,” he said.
Kiper also warned that uncertainty surrounding the energy transition is affecting the expansion of gas infrastructure such as pipelines. In contrast, successful experiences such as Vaca Muerta in Argentina and the rapid development of Brazil’s oil sector show that a clear, well-defined, and agreed-upon strategy is decisive in attracting sustainable investment.
OLACDE’s representatives called on governments, the private sector, and civil society to jointly build a horizon of trust, based on solid regulatory frameworks, ongoing dialogue, and technical cooperation, to harness natural gas and renewable gases as key vectors in an orderly, fair, and sustainable energy transition for the region.
