In Colombia, natural gas consumption has outpaced production

According to our most recent Colombia Country Analysis Brief, Colombia imported 14,2 billion cubic feet (Bcf) of natural gas to help meet its natural gas demand for electricity in 2020, when a drop in hydroelectric power was caused by drought.

In 2020, hydroelectricity will contribute to around 65% of Colombia's electrical generation, down from nearly 80% in earlier years. Since hydropower is Colombia's principal energy source, droughts may have a significant effect on the country's electrical producing mix.

The bulk of natural gas used in Colombia is produced domestically and employed to create electricity. In recent years, imports have progressively bridged the gap between domestic natural gas production and domestic demand. In 2020, Colombia produced 399 Bcf of dry natural gas, while domestic consumption was 413 Bcf.

Concerns over the reliability of the nation's electricity supply prompted the Colombian government to approve the Sociedad Portuaria El Cayao (SPEC) LNG import plant in November 2014. The facility started operations in November 2016. The administration has since proposed the Pacific Regasification LNG terminal as the nation's second LNG import plant.

EPM is currently developing the new hydroelectric dam project Ituango. The first of eight 300-megawatt generating units will commence operating in the second part of 2022. The whole project will have a capacity of 2.4 gigawatts when it is finished in 2025. If completed, the Ituango project would be the largest hydroelectric power plant in Colombia in terms of generating capacity. In 2020, the installed electrical production capacity of Colombia was 17 gigawatts.