Colombia's Cenit eyeing hydrogen in decarbonization push

Colombian oil pipeline operator Cenit could use its existing infrastructure to transport clean hydrogen amid broader efforts to diversify its business model.

Vidal Ramírez, Cenit's head of operational planning, told BNamericas that the company is seeking ways to utilize its pipeline and polyduct network to transport hydrogen to Colombia's main consumer markets. 

"We're currently carrying out specific studies on this possibility," Ramírez said in a telephone interview. "We have a competitive and important advantage: we have 6,650km of pipelines and 54 plants scattered throughout the country."

"Based on this, with the help of national and international experts, we’re reviewing the feasibility of being able to use this infrastructure for the transportation of other energy sources."

Cenit is not the only Colombian company looking to use existing pipelines to transport hydrogen blends. 

Grupo Energía Bogotá (GEB) and Promigas have also expressed interest in adapting their gas transport networks to capitalize on the burgeoning hydrogen economy. 

To do so, however, the companies must grapple with Colombia's cumbersome bureaucracy and regulatory bottlenecks.

"Developing linear infrastructure in Colombia is a slow, impactful and expensive process," Ramírez said. 

According to national industry association Hidrógeno Colombia, further studies must be carried out to determine the optimal blend of hydrogen with natural gas for Colombia's pipelines. 

The entity's executive director, Mónica Gasca, told BNamericas in July that an appropriate hydrogen admixture in gas for the residential sector could be 20% or 30%, adding that the right blend for industry and vehicles would likely differ. 

Cenit, which is a unit of Colombian state-run oil firm Ecopetrol, is also working on a hydrogen mobility pilot in Bogotá that aims to power the city's Transmilenio bus system, Ramírez said. 

In addition to hydrogen, the company is investing in renewable power generation, energy efficiency and carbon-offsetting initiatives as part of a wider decarbonization drive, he added.

The full interview with Ramírez can be seen here and here.