COLOMBIA · ENERGY
Key Facts
- The claim Oil firms GeoPark and Drummond Energy say Colombia can drill its first fracking well in 2027.
- Government timeline No official date for a first well has been announced.
- Why now Colombia’s proven natural gas reserves fell 16.8% in 2025, and the new government backs fracking.
- Drummond Drummond Energy, the energy arm of a US coal miner, wants to restart three suspended contracts.
- History Two earlier pilot projects were halted before any drilling took place.
- Power Index Colombia ranks 6th of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 51.1 points (November 2026 edition).
Oil firms GeoPark and Drummond Energy say Colombia is ready for fracking, and want the first Colombia fracking well drilled next year. Their executives spoke at an oil and gas summit, reported on Thursday 5 November 2026.
No official date for a first well has been announced. That matters because Colombia’s natural gas reserves are shrinking.
What the Executives Said
Alberto García, country manager of Drummond Energy, said the company wants to reactivate three suspended contracts for gas found alongside coal. He told the summit: “We need to drill the first well next year.”
Felipe Bayón, chief executive of GeoPark and a former head of state oil company Ecopetrol, says a first fracking well next year is viable. He points to Argentina as the model, where GeoPark already fracks.
GeoPark’s own filing of 15 October 2026 reports 180 fracturing stages completed on five wells in Argentina. In Colombia the company produced 25,865 barrels of oil equivalent a day in the third quarter, about 1% less than a year earlier.
Where the Contracts Stand
Drummond holds contracts with the National Hydrocarbons Agency (ANH), the state oil and gas regulator, for shale gas in the Cesar region of northern Colombia. Some of them are suspended, and García says reactivating them depends on a decision by the company and the agency.
Why Colombia Wants New Gas Now
Colombia’s proven natural gas reserves fell 16.8% in 2025, according to the ANH’s annual reserves report. Falling reserves raise pressure to find new supply, and fracking is one option the government has put back on the table.
President Abelardo de la Espriella, who took office on 7 August 2026, backs fracking, while the previous government opposed it. Two earlier research pilots in the Magdalena Medio region were halted and never reached drilling.
Our earlier report on the race for Colombia’s first fracking well names the three companies in play. A second story covers Ecopetrol’s fracking return and offshore push.
In Plain English, Who Is Who
Fracking, short for hydraulic fracturing, pumps water, sand and chemicals into rock to release trapped oil and gas. Environmental groups oppose it over water and climate concerns, which is why it is contested in Colombia.
GeoPark is an oil and gas producer with operations in Colombia and Argentina, and it files reports with US regulators. Drummond is a US-owned coal miner whose energy arm holds shale gas contracts in Colombia.
The ANH is the state agency that awards and supervises oil and gas contracts. Ecopetrol is the state-controlled oil company that held the two halted pilots.
What It Means for You
Investors in GeoPark, whose shares trade in New York, and in Colombian energy stocks should read this as a plan, not a permit. No official date is fixed.
A restart would open Colombian shale to US-linked firms such as Drummond and to the drilling-service companies that follow them. It could also ease the gas squeeze that Colombian households and factories face.
What Is Not Known
No official date for the first well is fixed. Environmental approvals and any limits set by Congress or the courts are also unresolved.
It is not known how much gas the first wells could produce. Nor has the cost of the first campaign been confirmed.
More: Latin America news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
Has Colombia ever drilled a fracking well?
No. Two research pilots planned in the Magdalena Medio region were halted before any drilling took place.
When could the first fracking well be drilled?
GeoPark and Drummond say 2027. No official date has been announced.
Who wants to start fracking in Colombia?
GeoPark and Drummond Energy told an oil and gas summit that they are ready. President Abelardo de la Espriella also backs fracking.
Why does Colombia want fracking now?
Proven gas reserves fell 16.8% in 2025, and the government wants new supply. The previous government opposed fracking.
Sources: GeoPark Ltd, third-quarter 2026 operational update (Form 6-K), 15 October 2026; National Hydrocarbons Agency (ANH), annual reserves report, 2026; Drummond Energy, statement by country manager Alberto García at the oil, gas and energy summit, Cartagena, 5 November 2026.
Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief · Editorial standards · Report an error