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Cerro Matoso, the ferronickel producer in Córdoba owned by CoreX following South32’s exit, confirmed on July 1 that it has reduced operations by 25% due to gas supply restrictions already imposed by Canacol — a cut the company says puts hundreds of direct jobs and contracts with local suppliers and contractors at risk, along with royalty and tax flows to both the department and the national treasury.

Fabio Arjona Hincapié – a marine biologist, former vice-minister of Environment under Ernesto Samper, and until recently director of Conservación Internacional Colombia – was confirmed as de la Espriella’s minister for the Environment and Sustainable Development portfolio that will sit at the intersection of the new government’s hydrocarbons expansion agenda and its stated commitment to environmental protection.

More than one million Colombian families still rely on firewood or charcoal for cooking — among the most polluting and health-damaging combustion sources in daily domestic use — and Ecopetrol’s Gas Social program exists to close that gap one network connection at a time.

The El Niño weather phenomenon means less water behind hydro dams, less hydroelectricity produced and more need for gas-powered thermoelectricity. That plus the need to import LNG means gas prices should be going up.

NG Energy International Corp. reported on July 2 that Magico-2X — the second well in its six-well 2026 drilling campaign at the Sinú-9 block in northern Colombia — was spud on June 26, targeting the Pre-CDO–San Cayetano formation as its primary objective.