Industry

It has been a goal of successive Colombian governments to diversify the economy by developing the manufacturing sector. To a certain extent, this endeavour has been successful. Colombia has a stable industrial base with a presence in a range of industries from processed foods to petrochemicals. Some of these sectors have sustained robust...

Coal is Colombia’s second-biggest export after oil and Colombia is the world’s fourth-largest coal exporter. The industry is well developed and the major players continue to invest in coal production and export infrastructure. However, production growth has stagnated in recent years as the industry has been battered by strikes, rebel attacks and falling prices....

With vast coal, gold and other mineral reserves, Colombia is one of Latin America’s leading mining countries. It is the world’s fourth-biggest exporter of coal, an important gold producer and the world leader in emerald mining, a small but profitable sector. Mining has expanded significantly in the past decade as the last two governments have emphasised its importance to...

During the past 10 years, Colombia has emerged as one of Latin America’s leading hydrocarbons producers. With just over 1m barrels per day (bpd) of production in 2013, Colombia trailed only Mexico, Venezuela and Brazil in the region. On a relative basis, natural gas production, at 1.2bn cu feet (bcf) per day, is more modest, but has grown every year but one since 2003....

The electricity plants and transmission network are among the strongest aspects of Colombia’s infrastructure and a point of reference for Latin American countries seeking to modernise their own grids. At home, Colombia’s robust electricity infrastructure has been a boon to growth – especially considering the deficiencies in other parts of the public works network – and...