Colombia at a crossroads
The new government is seen as unfriendly to oil and gas but will have to be pragmatic in the face of energy challenges
The new Colombian government—led by the ironically named President Petro—is a keen supporter of the energy transition and has proposed tax reforms that threaten to stymie investment in upstream oil and gas. But the country remains heavily dependent on the oil sector for revenue and is facing a gas supply crisis, so there may be more continuity than change, at least in the short term. “The policy of this government is the energy transition,” says Camilo Andres Rincon, director of hydrocarbons at the Ministry of Mines and Energy of Colombia. Describing Bogota’s transition plans as “aggressive”, Rincon also emphasises that hydrocarbons still have a very significant role in the country’s economy
Also in this section
17 January 2025
Supply glut or supply deficit are both plausible outlooks, with tariffs and sanctions among the key risks that could swing the pendulum
17 January 2025
European Commission is on its way to meeting clean energy goals, but energy security concerns and higher costs may give it second thoughts
17 January 2025
The CEO of QatarEnergy has highlighted the potential impact a new EU directive could have on energy exports to the continent
16 January 2025
The government’s resource nationalism is aggravating the NOC’s debt position and could yet worsen if also tasked with the decarbonisation shift