March 22, 2006
Venezuela to up natgas use in power generation

(BNamericas.com) - " Venezuela is determined to increase natural gas use in thermal electric power generation, while exporting the liquid fuels now used for this purpose could net the country an extra US$10bn a year, President Hugo Chávez said.

'Whatever we substitute we will be redirecting towards exports,' Chávez said during the inauguration of the Pedro Camejo thermal generation plant in Carabobo state.

The plant was retrofitted to burn natural gas and will use some 80 million cubic feet a day (Mf3/d) to generate 300MW, thus saving Venezuela 12,000 barrels a day of diesel that can be sold on the open market for US$700,000.

Chávez urged energy and oil minister and state oil company PDVSA president Rafael Ramírez to stop venting and flaring expensive natural gas at oil facilities.

We are still flaring a lot of gas. In the Orinoco oil belt we flare some 100Mf3/d, which is more than what it takes to power this facility,' Chávez said".