Minerales para la transición energética en Colombia

The report analyzes the governance of energy transition minerals in Colombia, focusing on copper and nickel. Through case studies of the Quebradona project and the Cerro Matoso mine, it identifies systemic failures in environmental mitigation, human rights protections, and benefit distribution. It argues that current regulatory frameworks are insufficient to prevent the 'enclave economy' model and proposes seven priority safeguard areas—including mandatory environmental licensing for exploration and strengthened prior consultation—to align Colombian mining with a just energy transition.

• The extraction of energy transition minerals in Colombia is marked by a tension between new strategic goals and a history of socio-environmental liabilities, particularly regarding nickel mining in Córdoba since the late 20th century.
• Colombia is a leading nickel producer, ranking first in South America and third in Latin America between 2021 and 2023, with an annual production of approximately 40,000 tonnes.
• The Quebradona copper project in Antioquia has been associated with the criminalization of social protest, with approximately 80 farmers facing judicial processes and 11 leaders criminally charged.
• There are significant failures in the guarantee of the right to prior consultation; for example, the Quebradona project's 2019 Environmental Impact Study (EIA) excluded the municipality of Támesis and the Emberá Chamí La Mirla indigenous reserve without sufficient technical justification.
• Mining employment in the studied cases is characterized by temporality, low qualification, and gender segregation, with women primarily hired for cleaning and kitchen roles despite having academic training.
• Water access and quality are primary sources of conflict; communities in Jericó and Támesis report decreased flow in community aqueducts linked to Quebradona's exploratory drilling, while Cerro Matoso has had reports of nickel presence in water resources as of 2020.
• Governance is hindered by technical language barriers and poor inter-institutional coordination, exemplified by the National Mining Agency (ANM) suspending the Governor of Antioquia's authority to award or withdraw mining titles.
• The report identifies a critical regulatory gap where mining exploration does not require an environmental license, a deficiency highlighted by the OECD in 2026.
• The document proposes seven priority safeguard areas: strengthening prior consultation and FPIC, protecting environmental defenders, ensuring territorial autonomy, regulating water rights, making EIAs participatory, improving territorial oversight, and planning mine closures with community participation.

APA

Bermudez, J. F., Ramos, Y. P., Busconi, A., Patiño, D. C. B., Mogollón, A. M., Marengo, M., Peña, J., Tapia, P. Z., Rojas, M. A., & Patzy, F. (2026). Minerales para la transición energética en Colombia. Transforma. https://transforma.global/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/260407-MineralesColombia.pdf

Chicago

Bermudez, Juliette F., Yessica Prieto Ramos, Antonela Busconi, Diana Carolina Barba Patiño, Ana María Mogollón, Melissa Marengo, Juliana Peña, et al. Minerales para la transición energética en Colombia. Transforma, 2026. https://transforma.global/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/260407-MineralesColombia.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Bermudez |first1=Juliette F. |last2=Ramos |first2=Yessica Prieto |last3=Busconi |first3=Antonela |last4=Patiño |first4=Diana Carolina Barba |last5=Mogollón |first5=Ana María |last6=Marengo |first6=Melissa |last7=Peña |first7=Juliana |last8=Tapia |first8=Pedro Zapata |last9=Rojas |first9=María Angélica |display-authors=etal |title=Minerales para la transición energética en Colombia |publisher=Transforma |date=March 2026 |url=https://transforma.global/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/260407-MineralesColombia.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{bermudez2026minerales, author = {Bermudez, Juliette F. and Ramos, Yessica Prieto and Busconi, Antonela and Patiño, Diana Carolina Barba and Mogollón, Ana María and Marengo, Melissa and Peña, Juliana and Tapia, Pedro Zapata and Rojas, María Angélica and Patzy, Fernando}, title = {{Minerales para la transición energética en Colombia}}, institution = {Transforma}, year = {2026}, month = mar, url = {https://transforma.global/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/260407-MineralesColombia.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }