Colombia's De La Espriella Reopens Oil and Gas Exploration, Including Fracking
Published
Colombian President Abelardo De La Espriella said on September 25 that his government is fully reopening oil and gas exploration and the signing of new contracts, "including fracking," under environmental responsibility criteria. He spoke in Santa Marta at the ceremony where Joaquín Gutiérrez took office as president of majority state-owned Ecopetrol. De La Espriella said exploration had been halted under the previous government, leaving Colombia exposed to importing energy it could have produced. He said Ecopetrol ended 2025 with 1,944 million barrels of oil equivalent in proven reserves, enough for 7.8 years, and only 6.3 years for gas. Gutiérrez pledged to secure Colombia's energy sovereignty.