With Rodrigo Lara Restrepo confirmed as Interior Minister on June 26 – the first official appointment of Abelardo de la Espriella’s incoming government – attention turns to the portfolios that matter most for energy investors, where the picture remains considerably less settled. Two names have surfaced specifically for Mines and Energy.
Ecopetrol has delivered 52,300 school kits to children, youth, and teachers in 31 municipalities across nine departments, as part of the company’s Education and Sports investment line aimed at strengthening school retention and easing the back-to-school financial burden for families in the company’s areas of operation.
The Court of King’s Bench of Alberta issued a ruling on June 24 granting Canacol Energy Ltd. permission to cancel 19 natural gas supply and transportation contracts with Colombian counterparties, advancing the most consequential legal step yet in the company’s CCAA restructuring.
Luz Stella Murgas, president of the Colombian Natural Gas Association Naturgas, issued a sharp public warning on June 26 in response to the ANH’s IRR 2025 report, calling on the incoming De la Espriella administration to accelerate investment decisions and unblock stalled gas projects without delay.
Abelardo de la Espriella won Colombia’s presidency on the strength of a popular wave, but Cambio reports that the congressional arithmetic that awaits him on August 7th bears little resemblance to the enthusiasm of his rallies.
Colombia’s contribution to the extractive industries transparency initiative EITI held a public webinar on June 19 bringing together more than 70 participants from government agencies, civil society organizations, academic institutions, and territorial communities to review progress on the upcoming EITI Colombia National Report 2023-2024 and discuss the broader governance agenda for the mining and hydrocarbons sector.
The National Hydrocarbons Agency (ANH) finally released Colombia’s total oil and gas reserves figures for year-end 2025 last week. Contributor Tomás de la Calle looked at Colombia’s oil reserves over the past nine years and even looked back thirty years to assess performance.
Ecopetrol’s ADR reached US$16.58 on June 17 — one of its highest levels of the year — having risen between US$6 and US$7 from its late-2025 range of US$9-10 as the market had been pricing in a de la Espriella victory well before the June 21 vote.
Arrow Exploration Corp. has announced results from the Icaco-2 (IC-2) exploration well on the Tapir Block in Colombia’s Llanos Basin, confirming a multi-zone discovery that the company says could prove material to its growth trajectory.
Abelardo de la Espriella’s June 21 runoff victory prompted JPMorgan to formalize its post-election Colombia thesis under the acronym T.I.G.R.E. — drawn from the president-elect’s campaign nickname “El Tigre” — covering Trade, Investment, Growth, Retrenchment, and Enforcement.
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