Colombia’s national government announced the appointment of electrical engineer Víctor Paternina as Vice Minister of Energy, bringing over 18 years of energy sector experience. The Sincelejo native, educated at Universidad del Norte with an MBA from Universidad de los Andes, previously served as Energy Director where he structured energy communities and led Colombia Solar public policy definition—key pillars of the just energy transition with territorial and social focus.
Colombia’s petroleum and gas sector voiced strong opposition to the wealth tax imposed under the government’s emergency decrees, warning the measure threatens investment capacity and creates discriminatory tax treatment while failing to account for the industry’s long-term investment cycles.
Colombia’s biofuels sector confronts sharply divergent narratives between government policy and industry survival, as President Gustavo Petro defends forced investment reforms while the sugarcane sector warns of imminent operational collapse from excessive imports threatening hundreds of thousands of jobs.
Next Sunday, March 8th, Colombians go to the polls for two separate but related purposes. Roughly half will vote in one of three primary elections for the right (excluding the leading candidate), the left (excluding the leading candidate) and the not-so-left. Perhaps the more important votes will be for Senate and Congress although these get less press coverage.
The ANH reports that commercialized natural gas production in December 2025 stood at 692.91 million cubic feet per day (mcfd). This monthly variation does not compromise the country’s energy security nor is it due to public policy decisions by the national government.
Ministers from IEA Member countries today unanimously invited Colombia to become the Agency’s 33rd Member country, marking a significant expansion of the Agency’s engagement in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Ecopetrol’s Unión Sindical Obrera (USO) announced support for Roy Barreras in the March 8, 2026 presidential consultation for the Frente por la Vida coalition, marking a clear break from the government coalition’s expected candidate Iván Cepeda.
Colombia’s plans to import Venezuelan natural gas face regulatory and infrastructure obstacles following talks in Caracas between Minister of Mines and Energy Edwin Palma and Venezuelan interim president Delcy Rodríguez. While Venezuela’s side of the Antonio Ricaurte pipeline—enabled in 2007—is ready, Colombia’s segment remains non-operational and Ecopetrol cannot lead the project.
Colombia registered its worst trade deficit in history in 2025, reaching US$16.B FOB, surpassing pandemic-era records. Meanwhile, extractive industry trade balance contributed positively, although declining as well. DANE also published GDP for 4Q25 so we look at that from a sector perspective.
Colombia’s 2026 Medium-Term Fiscal Framework assumes Brent crude averaging US$62.3 per barrel, positioning Ecopetrol comfortably above its US$50 per barrel breakeven point quoted in third quarter 2025.
2026, Hydrocarbons Colombia, All Rights Reserved.
