Colombia at a crossroads

The new government is seen as unfriendly to oil and gas but will have to be pragmatic in the face of energy challenges

The new Colombian government—led by the ironically named President Petro—is a keen supporter of the energy transition and has proposed tax reforms that threaten to stymie investment in upstream oil and gas. But the country remains heavily dependent on the oil sector for revenue and is facing a gas supply crisis, so there may be more continuity than change, at least in the short term. “The policy of this government is the energy transition,” says Camilo Andres Rincon, director of hydrocarbons at the Ministry of Mines and Energy of Colombia. Describing Bogota’s transition plans as “aggressive”, Rincon also emphasises that hydrocarbons still have a very significant role in the country’s economy