Repsol plans to raise gas output to 645 million cubic feet a day in Venezuela

The Spanish energy company Repsol plans to raise its gas production in Venezuela to 645 million cubic feet a day, according to the news agency Reuters.

The project, developed alongside local partners, currently produces about 580 million cubic feet a day for the domestic market, according to remarks by Francisco Martínez, the project manager, at an energy conference held in Caracas.

Output has remained stable at current levels while the companies weigh moving toward a second phase. That stage envisions new drilling and infrastructure upgrades to expand domestic supply capacity.

Meanwhile, the regional energy sector is discussing the reactivation of key infrastructure such as the Antonio Ricaurte binational pipeline, which connects Venezuela and Colombia. The president of the Colombian Natural Gas Association (Naturgas), Luz Stella Murgas, pointed to the need to repair the idle pipeline, a process that would require an estimated investment of $66 million and the approval of the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), according to Descifrado.