CREG expert commissioner Fanny Guerrero used her address at the first National Congress on Just Energy Transition and Climate Change Adaptation — organized by Air-e and Universidad del Norte — to argue that the Caribbean region's energy endowment positions it to become a motor of economic and social development, provided the right regulatory and infrastructure conditions are put in place.
Read moreThe Ministry of Mines and Energy has issued Resolution 40208, opening a long-term electricity contracting auction that will award 15-year supply contracts beginning January 2030, with a separate tranche starting 2035.
Read moreSpeaking at the Naturgas industry association congress in Cartagena, Minister of Mines and Energy Edwin Palma issued a pointed warning to energy sector actors that climate experts have flagged a probable El Niño event — one that could develop into a severe episode — and that preparation cannot wait.
Read moreA new clean energy research and innovation hub has been established in Medellín, with the formal launch of Energy Valley, Centro Avanzado de Energía, unveiled at the annual plenary of the Sustainable Energy Cluster of the Medellín Chamber of Commerce — an event marking two decades of the cluster's operation.
Read moreSpeaking at the Naturgas congress in Cartagena on April 15, Energy Minister Edwin Palma used the gas industry forum to address the overlapping electricity system pressures that will define the incoming government's energy inheritance — centering on the Caribbean service crisis, El Niño preparedness, and the structural gas supply constraints that directly condition thermal generation capacity.
Read moreSpeaking at the National Congress on Just Energy Transition and Climate Change Adaptation, Atlántico Governor Eduardo Verano argued that Colombia's energy transition cannot advance on renewable resource potential alone — and that the country's electricity system requires deep structural reform before the Caribbean's wind and solar endowment can be meaningfully monetized.
Read moreThe probability of El Niño conditions developing in Colombia has exceeded 60% in the near term and could reach 90% by September.
Read moreColombia's suspension of electricity exports to Ecuador — in place since January 22, when President Petro halted sales in response to Ecuador's imposition of a 30% "security tariff" on Colombian imports, citing inadequate cooperation on narcotrafficking and illegal mining — has hardened into a firm political condition.
Read moreEnergy Minister Edwin Palma met in Bogotá with Anne McKinney, vice president of the Americas Program at the US Chamber of Commerce and executive vice president of AACCLA, alongside representatives of Drummond Ltd., Baker Hughes, Glenfarne Group, General Motors, Capitol and PepsiCo, in a meeting that reaffirmed the American private sector's appetite for expanded participation in Colombia's energy and competitiveness agenda.
Read moreA study by the Fundación para el Desarrollo del Caribe (Fundesarrollo) and consultancy Barrera Rey – Economic Advisory, commissioned by regional chambers of commerce and industry associations, concludes that the Caribbean electricity crisis cannot be solved by replacing Air-e's management — and proposes dismantling the current single-operator model entirely in favor of three to five territorially specialized companies.
Read morePresident Gustavo Petro used X to attribute the historically high electricity tariffs in Colombia's Caribbean region to decisions taken under the governments of Álvaro Uribe Vélez and Iván Duque Márquez, renewing a long-running political dispute over the collapse of the former regional distributor Electricaribe and its aftermath.
Read moreThe national government issued Decree 0393 on April 10, 2026, establishing the policy framework for integrating Energy Storage Systems (SAE) into both the National Interconnected System (SIN) and the Non-Interconnected Zones (ZNI) — areas of the country not connected to the main grid.
Read moreEnergy Minister Edwin Palma used a social media exchange with Acolgen president Natalia Gutiérrez to reopen the government's long-running challenge to Colombia's standby fee mechanism, putting a cumulative price tag on the instrument and questioning whether it has delivered on its promise ahead of the El Niño dry season.
Read moreWith the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts projecting that the El Niño event expected to begin in September 2026 could rival the historically severe episodes of 1982, 1997 and 2015, Colombia's electricity generators are pushing back against expectations of a dramatic spike in consumer electricity bills — while acknowledging a more troubling underlying constraint.
Read moreColombia's Ministry of Mines and Energy convened approximately 32 industrial radiography companies alongside the Servicio Geológico Colombiano and other technical actors for a nuclear safeguards awareness workshop on April 10, focused on strengthening the country's compliance with its international obligations under the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Read moreEcopetrol and its subsidiary Hocol have signed a partnership agreement to develop environmental and social projects aimed at closing energy access gaps, promoting non-conventional renewable energy sources and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in underserved communities.
Read morePresident Gustavo Petro fired back at the Asociación Colombiana de Generadores de Energía Eléctrica (Acolgen) after the industry body petitioned the Constitutional Court to suspend and strike down Decree 150 of February 11, 2026, issued to address the economic, social and ecological emergency caused by historically severe rainfall across eight departments including Córdoba, Urabá and Sucre.
Read moreIn a campaign address covering his energy policy vision, presidential candidate Iván Cepeda sketched the outlines of a clean energy agenda centered on solar and hydraulic power, positioning Ecopetrol as the lead vehicle for the country's transition away from fossil fuels rather than as a hydrocarbon producer to be wound down.
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President Gustavo Petro used a post on X on April 4 to dispute a circulating claim that Colombia's energy matrix is 78% fossil-fuel-based, arguing that the figure reflects a methodological error by UPME technicians who count only solar and wind as clean energy while excluding hydropower.
Read moreForecasters are increasingly confident, unfortunately, that a Super El Niño — one of the most powerful climate events on record — could develop in the second half of 2026, with potentially severe consequences for Colombia's already-stressed electricity system.
Read moreThe national government announced on April 8 a CoP$377.6 billion investment in sustainable energy projects across Colombia's regions, channeled through the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation under the 2025–2026 Biennial Calls Plan of the Sistema General de Regalías.
Read moreColombia became a member of the International Energy Agency (IEA) and one of the perks comes as technical assistance. Late last year, the country used that help to produce a roadmap to net zero.
Read moreIndira Portocarrero, director of the Unidad de Planeación Minero Energética (UPME), gave a wide-ranging interview to Valora Analitik outlining the agency's technical and regulatory agenda for the electricity sector, with system reliability, storage, and clean energy integration as the central threads.
Read moreEmpresas Públicas de Medellín (EPM) went on the offensive in late March 2026 following the Environment Ministry's announcement of a sanction process against Hidroituango, with General Manager Jhon Maya Salazar questioning both the basis and the scope of the investigation.
Read moreThe Ministry of Mines and Energy published Resolution 40178 on March 31, 2026, establishing the general rules for long-term clean energy contracting mechanisms under Colombia's just energy transition agenda.
Read moreColombia's distributed solar sector has undergone one of the most rapid transformations in the country's energy history, growing from four solar mini-farms in 2023 to 151 as of March 2026 — an increase of 3,675% in just three years, according to XM, the national electricity market operator.
Read moreColombia's electricity sector is navigating what industry analysts describe as a moment of high structural fragility, with the gap between firm energy supply and demand having narrowed to between 1% and 2% — a margin the sector considers critical for system reliability.
Read moreCaribbean electricity distributor Air-e announced on March 27 that it will lead the First National Congress on Just Energy Transition and Climate Change Adaptation — the first event of its kind to be organized by a grid operator in Colombia.
Read moreThe Ministry of Mines and Energy issued Resolution 40163 on March 27, 2026, authorizing thermal power plants to commercialize imported natural gas on the secondary market — a transitional measure valid for six months designed to unlock underutilized LNG import capacity and broaden gas supply at a moment of acute national shortage.
Read morePresident Gustavo Petro announced on March 25, 2026 that Colombia will withdraw from the international investment arbitration system – the framework under which foreign investors can bring disputes against states before private arbitral tribunals rather than national courts – citing the structural bias he argues such tribunals exhibit in favor of private claimants over sovereign governments.
Read moreEnergy and Mines Minister Edwin Palma represented Colombia at CERAWeek in Houston on March 25, 2026, using one of the global energy sector's most prominent forums to advance the Petro government's framing of the energy transition as a technically grounded, socially responsible process rather than an ideological commitment.
Read moreThe MinEnergia and the Fondo de Energías No Convencionales y Gestión Eficiente de la Energía (FENOGE) announced on March 19, 2026 that the Caribe Cambia Tu Energía program will replace inefficient refrigeration equipment in 12,931 strata 1, 2, and 3 households across Bolívar, Cesar, Córdoba, Sucre, and several Magdalena municipalities, with discounts of up to 40% on energy-efficient replacements.
Read moreThe Petro government issued decrees on March 27, 2026 fixing a 7% salary increase for public servants working in national entities of the executive and judicial branches, with the same adjustment applying to teachers. The increase is retroactive to January 2026.
Read moreWith Colombia's presidential election approaching, the country's energy policy has emerged as one of the sharpest lines of division among the leading candidates – with the opposition right promising an immediate reversal of the Petro-era hydrocarbon moratorium and the ruling coalition's candidate signaling continuity in an energy transition that keeps extractive sectors alive but conditions them on environmental and social limits.
Read moreThe Petro government's Group of State Participations within the Ministry of Finance has proposed reforms to the bylaws of the Electrificadora del Meta (EMSA) that would alter the rules for appointing the company's directors — a move that minority shareholders are publicly resisting on the grounds that it would tilt corporate control toward the national government and undermine the merit-based selection processes built up in recent years.
Read moreSolar energy surpassed coal in Colombia's annual electricity generation in 2025, according to data published by the Unidad de Planeación Minero Energética (UPME).
Read moreThe Ministry of Housing, City and Territory released a technical guide on March 19, 2026 consolidating Colombia's regulatory framework for sustainable building, mapping eight categories of available incentives and providing practical case studies to help developers, public entities, and financial actors implement greener construction projects.
Read moreThe Ministry of Mines and Energy formalized the Colombia Solar program on March 19, 2026 through Resolution 40159, establishing the technical, financial, and operational framework for rolling out distributed solar generation to households in strata 1, 2, and 3.
Read moreThree state-owned electricity generators formally committed to a new tariff methodology in a high-level meeting chaired by President Gustavo Petro on March 19, 2026, in a move the government presented as a structural measure to reduce speculation in the spot market and lower costs for Colombian households.
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Colombia's Mining and Energy Planning Unit (UPME) released its 2024 Electricity Coverage Index (ICEE), showing that national household electrification reached 93.12% — up 0.45 percentage points from 92.67% in 2023 — as 539,351 new homes were connected during the year.
Read moreEnergy and Mines Minister Edwin Palma met on March 17, 2026 with U.S. Embassy Chargé d'Affaires Jarahn Hillsman and his economic team to review bilateral cooperation and investment opportunities across Colombia's energy sector.
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A post-mortem analysis by Asoenergía – the Colombian Association of Large Industrial and Commercial Energy Consumers – of the October 2025 maintenance shutdown of the SPEC LNG regasification terminal in Cartagena has revealed how poor supply planning drove residential gas contract prices to nearly three times their normal level in just a matter of days.
Read moreColombia's energy sector trade associations gathered in Cartagena on March 17, 2026 to issue a coordinated alarm over what they described as the deepest financial and operational crisis to hit the electricity and gas supply chain in recent memory.
Read moreColombia's General Controller issued a broad warning on March 18, 2026 saying that the country faces a genuine risk of energy rationing and tariff increases, presenting the findings of a sectoral study titled Quality Supply and Energy Storage in Colombia 2020-2030 (Abastecimiento con Calidad y Almacenamiento Energético en Colombia 2020–2030) at a public forum.
Read moreEnergy and Mines Minister Edwin Palma used a Controller’s forum on March 18, 2026 to push back against what he characterized as an alarmist narrative around Colombia's energy security, while opening a significant new debate about a structural component of the electricity tariff.
Read moreColombia's Inspector General's Office has formally demanded that the Superintendency of Public Utilities (Superservicios) expand its reporting on the ongoing state intervention of Air-e, the troubled Caribbean electricity distributor, after concluding that an initial report submitted by the regulator was too vague to allow meaningful oversight of the process.
Read moreA Revista Cambio investigation published March 16, 2026 and based on documents now held by the Fiscalía reveals a coherent pattern of financial opacity during Energy Minister Edwin Palma's tenure as special intervening agent at Air-e: large payment agreements covering pre-intervention debts, the systematic restriction of financial information from auditors and successor officials, and the concentration of accounting control within Palma's immediate personal circle.
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Tariffs once again capture MinEnergia’s attention and, by extension, that of SuperServicios and the CREG. This is a hard argument to make for the average non-economist looking at their bill but, in real terms, prices have been under control since the pandemic.
Read moreColombia's Ministry of Mines and Energy has launched a national call for technical cooperation project proposals under its partnership with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), targeting the 2028–2029 cooperation cycle. The announcement, dated March 11, 2026, builds on two decades of joint work through which nuclear techniques have been applied to radiological safety, cancer treatment, agricultural productivity, and environmental monitoring.
Read morePresident Gustavo Petro's administration is defending the continued tenure of Ricardo Roa and Jorge Carrillo at two of Colombia's most strategically important state enterprises despite escalating legal controversies surrounding both officials,
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Colombia's Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development and IDEAM issued an early warning on March 16, 2026 following detection of warming signals in the equatorial Pacific Ocean indicating possible El Niño development during the second half of the year, with potential implications for national water resources and agricultural sectors.
Read moreHidroituango S.A. issued a stark warning about Colombia's electricity sector vulnerability after analysis revealed the Sistema Interconectado Nacional (SIN) experienced net capacity contracted in 2025 despite new generation project additions.
Read moreColombia's Ministry of Mines and Energy presented a draft resolution on March 12, 2026 establishing transitional guidelines for differential electricity tariffs targeting the country's most vulnerable families, particularly those in historically underserved rural areas and territories facing operational difficulties.
Read moreColombia's February inflation rate of 5.29% came in below market expectations of 5.5%, driven primarily by energy price deceleration rather than broad-based disinflation.
Read moreThe Colombian government issued a decree suspending electricity billing and collection for properties affected by the economic emergency declaration in eight departments until users recover payment capacity.
Read moreThe Departamento Nacional de Planeación (DNP) conducted a technical tour of three strategic works funded by royalty resources in Santander that generate direct community benefits.
Read moreCopper and rare earth minerals have displaced petroleum as the primary strategic resources in global competition, transforming international relations into what experts call "Diplomacy of the Subsoil."
Read moreLast Sunday, March 8th Colombians went to the polls to vote in presidential primaries and, more importantly perhaps, to vote in congressional contests for the upper and lower houses. What happened and what does it mean?
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Colombia reached 4 gigawatts in clean energy generation, representing 17.09% of the country's total energy matrix, with the launch of the new Parque Solar Atlántico.
Read moreColombia's Energy and Gas Regulatory Commission published draft Complementary Agreement 001 for public consultation February 27, 2026, marking significant progress toward enabling the first bilateral electrical energy exchange between Colombia and Panama. The draft agreement develops detailed guidelines for cost distribution, interconnection remuneration, and efficient development of the binational project.
Read moreColombia's Ministry of Mines and Energy signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) establishing a technical cooperation framework for nuclear technology applications oriented toward decarbonizing energy systems and strengthening electrical supply.
Read moreColombia achieved 93.12% national electric coverage in 2024 after connecting 539,351 new homes to the grid, with rural areas registering the year's strongest growth, according to announcements from the Ministry of Mines and Energy and Enel Colombia.
Read moreColombia's National Business Council (Consejo Gremial Nacional) rejected the government's use of the economic emergency declaration to introduce structural changes, while supporting urgent measures to address flooding and extreme weather affecting eight departments.
Read moreColombia's Superintendency of Public Services (Superservicios) established a Unified Command Post (PMU) to conduct permanent monitoring of the Caribbean energy market following its intervention in utility company Air-e, which serves over 1.3 million subscribers across the departments of Atlántico, Magdalena, and La Guajira.
Read moreThe government imposed a temporary 2% surcharge on gross revenues of hydroelectric and thermoelectric companies in flood-affected regions, which could generate between CoP$200B and CoP$300B for risk management financing, according to Valora Analitik (February 25, 2026).
Read moreAcolgén raised alarms over economic emergency decrees issued to address Colombia's flooding crisis, warning they could enable government intervention in reservoir operations.
Read moreAnother public dispute erupted between President Gustavo Petro and Medellín Mayor Federico Gutiérrez over energy tariffs, Hidroituango operations, and flood relief policies. The confrontation began when Gutiérrez criticized the government's decision to reject international aid for Córdoba flooding victims, calling the measure "absurd" and stating authorities "like to see people suffer."
Read moreJanuary 2026 analysis of Caribbean electricity market cost composition revealed generation and transmission components dominate consumer bills, according to Codisgen.
Read moreColombia's National Environmental Licensing Agency (ANLA) warned that water inflow to the Urrá hydroelectric reservoir in Córdoba increased dramatically, rising from 485 cubic meters per second at 5:00 a.m. Saturday February 13th to 823 cubic meters per second by monitoring period conclusion, representing approximately 69% increase within 24 hours.
Read moreColombia's national government delivered clean energy access to over 1,500 people in rural Cauca communities historically excluded from electricity service through a solar electrification intervention representing the Colombia Solar program's commitment to closing infrastructure gaps in conflict-affected regions.
Read moreColombia's atypical early 2026 rainfall elevated reservoir levels above 74%, substantially higher than the typical 40% for this traditionally dry period, prompting President Gustavo Petro's administration to request energy price reductions from generators and compliance with new Comisión de Regulación de Energía y Gas (Creg) regulations modifying reliability charge calculations. However, industry associations maintain price reductions reflect normal market dynamics rather than government intervention.
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Last September, we wrote an article about power demand intensity with respect to GDP, income elasticity and regulated usage per household. We also produced a crude forecast to 2030 based on this model. But we only had data to 2Q25. Now we have demand and GDP to 4Q25 so we update the charts.
Read more President Gustavo Petro characterized as an administration milestone the recent Unidad de Planeación Minero-Energética (UPME) report confirming Colombia has surpassed 16% participation of non-conventional clean energies in its national electrical matrix. He’s not exactly correct.
Read moreColombia's national government announced the appointment of electrical engineer Víctor Paternina as Vice Minister of Energy, bringing over 18 years of energy sector experience.
Read moreThe Minister of Mines and Energy, Edwin Palma Egea, appointed Karen Schutt Esmeral as the new expert commissioner of the Energy and Gas Regulatory Commission (CREG) .
Read morePresident Gustavo Petro urged Colombia's entire business sector to replace coal, gas, and diesel boilers with solar energy during Monday's Cabinet meeting at Casa de Nariño, announcing that government financing for the transition already exists and has been approved.
Read moreColombia's major hydroelectric operators defended their reservoir management practices following President Gustavo Petro's accusations that Urrá and Hidroituango caused severe Córdoba flooding, with responses highlighting both technical explanations and governance contradictions, according to reports from Valora Analitik, EPM, and Portafolio.
Read moreColombia's General Controller (Contraloría General de la República) flagged a presumed loss of CoP$86.054 billion in two Ecopetrol contracts following a 2024 audit, raising fresh concerns about oversight and project management at the state oil company, La República reported on January 19, 2026.
Read moreColombia's wholesale electricity prices have barely declined despite near-record reservoir levels, exposing the disconnect between hydrological abundance and spot market dynamics.
Read moreMinEnergía announced Barrancabermeja will serve as pilot site for “Energy Blocks” (Cuadras Energéticas), an innovative community solar generation model designed to reduce electricity bills up to 60% for low-income households in informal settlements, according to a February 5, 2026 press release.
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Colombia's energy transition is generating measurable momentum, with the government projecting that expanding renewable capacity could deliver cumulative tariff savings of up to CoP$7 trillion for electricity users over the next five years.
Read moreWith heavy rains triggering floods, landslides, and flash floods across multiple regions of Colombia, the Superintendency of Public Utilities (SuperServicios) issued a formal External Circular on February 4, 2026 ordering all electricity and gas service providers to implement preventive and forward-looking risk reduction measures across their infrastructure networks.
Read moreWith reservoirs across Colombia running at elevated levels amid heavy ongoing rainfall, the Ministry of Mines and Energy issued Circular 40008 on February 10, 2026, calling on wholesale electricity market participants—particularly hydroelectric and low-cost technology generators—to embrace the Energy Commission's (CREG) new Low Prices by Technology rules and translate hydrological conditions into lower tariffs for end users.
Read moreColombia's utility industry association Andesco and energy think tank CREE published a study in late January warning of mounting structural risks to the country's natural gas supply, with all three articles covering the same report released on January 28.
Read moreThe Ministry of Mines and Energy issued a formal preventive alert on February 12, ordering wholesale electricity generators to reinforce measures ensuring continuous and safe power supply across Colombia. The directive was issued through Circular 40009, addressed to all agents operating in the wholesale electricity market.
Read moreAfinia, the EPM Group subsidiary that took over power distribution on Colombia's Caribbean coast five years ago, has surpassed the milestone of 20,000 households enrolled in its prepaid electricity scheme — a model that is delivering savings of up to 35% on monthly bills.
Read moreColombia's overall inflation rate stood at 5.35% year-on-year in January 2026, remaining above the central bank's 5% threshold, but official data showed a notable divergence within the energy segment: electricity prices continued falling while natural gas costs kept rising.
Read morePresident Gustavo Petro announced the government is evaluating declaring an Economic, Social and Environmental Emergency in Córdoba and Sucre departments following catastrophic flooding that has claimed 14 lives and devastated the Caribbean region.
Read moreColombia's Environment Ministry and environmental licensing authority ANLA have significantly accelerated renewable energy project approvals under the Petro administration, according to Minister Irene Vélez in an exclusive interview with Valora Analitik published February 4.
Read moreLatin America is entering a new phase of energy transition where success will depend less on renewable capacity additions and more on grid planning, institutional coordination, and community engagement, according to Daniel Díaz, executive secretary of the World Energy Council (WEC) in Colombia.
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Never one to let facts get in the way of a good smokescreen and always looking for an opportunity to denigrate the power generation industry, President Gustavo Petro blames the hydroelectric plants for spilling an excess of water on the unfortunate residents of Colombia’s northwest. He says they did it to raise tariffs by having more power generated by thermal.
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Energy Minister Edwin Palma categorically dismissed the possibility of a blackout in Colombia's Caribbean region, emphasizing regulatory measures taken by the government to ensure continuous service.
Read moreVice Minister of Mines and Energy Karen Schutt announced a comprehensive package of measures to strengthen the Caribbean region's electrical system, including urgent transmission infrastructure works, tariff stabilization, and expanded subsidies for vulnerable users. The government activated exceptional mechanisms to unblock historically delayed investments in this zone.
Read moreThe Constitutional Court provisionally suspended taxes imposed on electricity generators through decrees 1390 of 2025 and legislative decree 0044 of January 21, 2026.
Read moreThe Superintendent of Public Services, Felipe Durán Carrón, conducted an inspection Saturday at the Urrá hydroelectric plant in Córdoba following President Gustavo Petro's attribution of partial responsibility for Caribbean coast flooding to energy generating companies.
Read moreJaime Lombana, spokesperson and lawyer for Air-e’s original owners, the electricity distributor serving Colombia's Atlantic coast departments, sharply rebutted Mines and Energy Minister Edwin Palma's recent suggestion that the company should be liquidated, arguing such action would obscure irregularities committed during 16 months of government intervention.
Read moreThe Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development published its 2026 Environmental Performance Review for Colombia, crediting the country with progressive strengthening of its political and institutional framework for addressing climate change and biodiversity loss over the past decade.
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Colombia has avoided nearly 7 million tonnes of CO₂-equivalent emissions during the Petro administration through the entry into operation of clean energy projects including solar, wind, and small hydroelectric facilities, the Mines and Energy Ministry announced on World CO₂ Emissions Reduction Day.
Read moreMy “give back gig” is I work with the electrical engineer’s association (ACIEM) where I get involved in high technology and some energy issues. In that role, I’ve spent a lot of time at ACIEM events (like Enercol) where I got to meet ex-GEB president, Sandra Fonseca and see her discuss sectoral issues. I was somewhat surprised to see she’d left Asoenergia (where she was Executive Director) but then less surprised to see she was running for senator, under the umbrella of Nuevo Liberalismo.
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