Colombia's state oil company Ecopetrol will resume fracking operations despite a 2024 Constitutional Court ruling that found its pilot projects violated community rights, incoming president Joaquin Gutierrez Caballero announced this week.
The decision comes as the country faces a critical energy shortage. Colombia has oil reserves for just 7.4 years and natural gas for 5.9 years, according to Gutierrez Caballero, who managed President Abelardo de la Espriella's election campaign and has no background in the oil industry. He said Ecopetrol would pursue what he called "responsible fracking" while continuing offshore exploration.
Production Crisis and Community Rights
Ecopetrol pumped 705,000 barrels of oil equivalent a day between April and June, its weakest quarter in four years. Gutierrez Caballero said the company was taking charge at a moment of crisis and that there's no room for half measures.
The two fracking pilot projects, Kale and Platero, near Puerto Wilches on the Magdalena River, were suspended in 2022 after a court order and a request from Ecopetrol itself. The Constitutional Court ruled in 2024 that the pilot projects breached community rights. The company now plans to move ahead with conventional and unconventional projects despite that judicial finding.
Offshore Development and U.S. Assets
Ecopetrol is banking on Sirius, a deepwater gas find 77 kilometres off Santa Marta, which holds more than six trillion cubic feet of gas. Production is planned for the end of 2029, with about US$2.9 billion set aside for the work.
Meanwhile, the company's position in the Permian Basin of Texas has deteriorated. Output fell to 80,800 barrels a day in the second quarter from a peak of 115,000 in 2025. President Gustavo Petro asked Ecopetrol in February 2025 to sell its American fracking assets. The previous government had blocked a much larger deal in the same basin, valued at about US$3.6 billion, and two board members resigned over that decision.
Political Tensions Over Energy Policy
The announcement marks a sharp reversal from policies that had prioritized community consultation and environmental safeguards. Gutierrez Caballero's lack of oil industry experience and his close ties to the new administration raise questions about whether political considerations are driving energy policy over technical and legal concerns.
The company also announced a second Ecopetrol headquarters in Barranquilla, on the Caribbean coast.
Why This Matters:
Ecopetrol's decision to resume fracking despite a Constitutional Court ruling that found community rights violations sets a troubling precedent for environmental and indigenous protections in Colombia. The appointment of a political operative with no oil industry background to lead the state energy company during a production crisis raises serious questions about whether technical expertise and legal compliance will guide decisions that affect public health, water resources, and climate commitments. With reserves running critically low, the pressure to prioritize short-term extraction over long-term sustainability and community rights could undermine Colombia's democratic institutions and environmental frameworks. The fate of U.S. fracking assets adds another layer of uncertainty to a company that should be leading Colombia's energy transition, not doubling down on the practices that created the climate crisis.