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The Ministry of Mines and Energy (MinMinas) says that it is looking to achieve greater stability in the final price of fuel and issued a list of objectives for talks with the transportation sector. But it says the changes must be gradual and linked to market prices.

As the date to announce fixed fuel prices for April approaches, pressure has increased on the national government to lower fuel prices, while the Minister of Mines and Energy Amylkar Acosta insists that the public should not be expecting further cuts.

The growing demand for diesel and Colombia’s environmental requirements for the fuel, paired with a limited internal capacity of Ecopetrol (NYSE:EC) to produce this fuel could mean an increase of imports of the fuel by 7.4% in 2014.

The president of the National Federation of Palm Oil Growers (Fedepalma), Jens Mesa, said a recent resolution from the Ministry of Mines and Energy to fix the price to the biofuel producer is “straight out of a Chavista court”.

Increases in the WTI oil price and a general trend towards a stronger dollar against the Colombian peso amounts to an increase in gasoline prices this month. Although the government no doubt did what it could to keep them down as the election season heats up.

The USO says that Ecopetrol (NYSE:EC) continues to hedge and refuse to progress on the modernization of the Barrancabermeja Refinery, with the union saying that it is a must to have a “competitive” and modern refining facility.

The Ministry of Mines and Energy signed a memorandum of understanding with emission reductions organizations, Carbon War Room, during an event in the British Virgin Islands to encourage, implement and strengthen renewable energies in a policy view for the San Andrés Islands.

Authorities from Colombia and Venezuela met in Maracaibo last week and have penned an agreement to collaborate against the sale of contraband fuel on their shared border, and opened the door to selling Venezuelan fuel once again.

Colombia’s comptroller Sandra Morelli was back making rounds with radio stations this week while visiting Cartagena, criticizing what she says is the “poor planning” which has dogged the Cartagena Refinery (Reficar) project.

The governor of the Norte de Santander Department Édgar Díaz Contreras has proposed the construction of a micro-refinery with a capacity of 40,000bd to produce fuels for the region which is looking for alternatives after Venezuelan fuel sales were suspended last May.