Coal production would be 90 million tons in 2011

Coal production would be 90 million tons in 2011

Dinero.com

02/02/2011

Colombia would close 2011 with a production of between 85 and 90 million tons of coal and from 950.000 to 1 million barrels for day of oil, there estimated on Wednesday the secretary of Mines and Energy, Carlos Rodado.

The mining activity and the exploitation of oil is one of the most important and dynamic sectors of the economy of this country of more than 44 million inhabitants.

 " We will be between 85 and 90 millions of tons of coal and in case of oil, I believe that we will be between 950.000 and approaching the million barrels of production of crude oil ", he said Rodado to a question of Reuters.

Colombia is the fifth world exporter of coal after Indonesia, Australia, Russia and South Africa, but his production has seen affected for the strong rains and floods from last year that provoked a fall of 5 million tons opposite to the goal established by the Government for 2010 of 80 million tons.

The exploitation of the biggest deposits of coal is controlled by multinationals like BHP Billiton, Anglo American, Xstrata, Drummond and Glencore, which possess his principal railway and port facilities.

Colombia, the fourth Latin-American producer of crude oil in Latin America, experienced a petroleum boom and in the mining investment from 2002 stimulated by a military offensive against the leftist guerrilla warfare that allowed to reduce the violence and to increase the exploration in regions that before the rebels were dominating.

The production of oil of Colombia grew 16,9 % in 2010 to 785.000 barrels per day by an increase of the investments in the sector.
(Reuters).
FREE TRANSLATION.