Colombia’s planned gas glut: more than double projected demand

Colombia is planning at least nine major LNG import terminal projects and expansions between 2026 and 2030, which could create a capacity of 2,500 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d). This capacity is more than double the 1,000 MMcf/d gas demand projected by the Unidad de Planeación Minero Energética (UPME) for 2030. The report argues that overbuilding LNG infrastructure risks creating stranded assets, increasing dependence on volatile global markets, and undermining the country's roadmap to reduce fossil fuel dependence and emissions by 90% by 2050.

• Colombia's planned LNG import capacity is projected to reach approximately 2,500 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d) by 2030, which is more than twice the government's projected gas demand for that period.
• The Unidad de Planeación Minero Energética (UPME) estimates gas demand will be around 1,000 MMcf/d by 2030, with a projected supply deficit increasing from 200 MMcf/d to 500 MMcf/d by the same year.
• Industrial gas consumption in Colombia fell by 28% in the first four months of 2026, with demand shifting toward liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), coal, fuel oil, and sugar cane bagasse due to domestic shortages and high LNG prices.
• Existing and planned infrastructure could meet demand without massive overbuild; the SPEC LNG terminal in Cartagena currently provides 425 MMcf/d and will expand by 58 MMcf/d by 2027, while the Puerto Bahía and Coveñas FSRU projects are planned for 400 MMcf/d by 2029 and 2030 respectively.
• Colombia has a roadmap to reduce fossil fuel dependence and emissions by 90% by 2050 through energy efficiency, renewable generation with storage, and electrification, but this is tensioned by a continued reliance on oil and gas royalties and proposals to reactivate production via fracking.

APA

Llano, A. (n.d.). Colombia’s planned gas glut: more than double projected demand. Global Energy Monitor. https://globalenergymonitor.org/research/colombias-planned-gas-glut-more-double-projected-demand

Chicago

Llano, Amalia. Colombia’s planned gas glut: more than double projected demand. Global Energy Monitor, n.d. https://globalenergymonitor.org/research/colombias-planned-gas-glut-more-double-projected-demand.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Llano |first1=Amalia |title=Colombia’s planned gas glut: more than double projected demand |publisher=Global Energy Monitor |url=https://globalenergymonitor.org/research/colombias-planned-gas-glut-more-double-projected-demand |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{llanondcolombias, author = {Llano, Amalia}, title = {{Colombia’s planned gas glut: more than double projected demand}}, institution = {Global Energy Monitor}, url = {https://globalenergymonitor.org/research/colombias-planned-gas-glut-more-double-projected-demand}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }