Colombian fracking edges closer to reality
Mindful of the country's energy security, the government is looking towards its shale assets
Colombian president Ivan Duque is no stranger to controversy. His attempts to alter a landmark war crimes tribunal this year, the special jurisdiction for peace (JEP), were sizeably defeated in the House of Representatives, only for cross-party disputes to return the veto back to the Constitutional Court. Now he aims to resurrect an equally contentious issue: fracking. Colombia has mooted fracking for several years. In 2014, the government offered up several shale blocks for auction, but no licenses were approved. This year, two shale pilot projects were shelved by licensing authority Anla after operators US independent ConocoPhilips (80pc stake) and Canada's Canacol (20pc stake) failed to m

Also in this section
10 March 2025
Oil sands will be complemented by conventional and shale output growth and supply opportunities improved by the Trans Mountain Pipeline, but the tariff threat remains
10 March 2025
Political backbiting and slumping drilling activity point to further declines ahead of next year’s election
8 March 2025
Honouring the trailblazing women shaping the future of hydrogen
7 March 2025
Castberg may not be enough to offset declines in other fields, while its vastly different quality has far-reaching implications for buyers