SITUACIÓN DEL MERCADO DEL CARBÓN E INCENTIVOS para su extracción y comercialización en Colombia

Colombia is the world's sixth-largest coal exporter, with the sector contributing approximately 1.1% of the national GDP and providing significant royalties. However, the global market is contracting as major importers in the Atlantic and Americas markets set phase-out dates for coal-fired power. While some industry associations suggest expanding into Pacific markets like China and India, high freight costs and those countries' own goals for carbon neutrality make this difficult. The Colombian government has historically supported the sector through various tax exemptions and incentives, such as the Plan Vallejo and Tax Refund Certificates. The report argues that Colombia must urgently diversify its economy and implement a just transition to mitigate the socio-economic risks of a structural decline in coal demand.

• Colombia is the sixth largest coal exporter globally, extracting an average of 86 Mt per year over the last decade, with 94% being thermal coal and 6% metallurgical coal.
• The coal sector is a significant economic driver for Colombia, representing about 1.1% of the national GDP and 14.4% of national exports as of 2019, while generating approximately 130,000 direct jobs.
• The Colombian government provides various indirect subsidies and incentives to the coal sector, including the Plan Vallejo for customs duty exemptions on imports, Tax Refund Certificates (CERT) for exploration investments, and specific tax exemptions for departmental and municipal taxes.
• Colombia's primary export markets in the Atlantic and Americas are rapidly contracting; for example, Spain aims to eliminate coal for electricity by 2025, and Chile has moved its phase-out target to 2025.
• Expansion into the Pacific market is hindered by high transportation costs, which can be double the cost of shipping to Europe, making Colombian coal less competitive against producers like Indonesia or Australia.
• The total elimination of coal production could result in a loss of approximately 2 trillion COP (280 million USD) in annual royalties for the Colombian economy.
• Colombia's updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) aims for a 51% mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 compared to the Business as Usual scenario, with a goal of carbon neutrality by mid-century.
• Mining activities in Colombia have led to at least 179 social conflicts between 2000 and 2016, involving issues such as forced community relocation and the violation of indigenous and Afro-descendant rights.

APA

Barcha, J. U., Walker, F. B., Limas, A. P., Puerto, L., Sanmiguel, V., & Restrepo, G. P. (2021). SITUACIÓN DEL MERCADO DEL CARBÓN E INCENTIVOS para su extracción y comercialización en Colombia. Transforma. https://transforma.global/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/21.05-Documento-1-1-Mercado-del-carbon.pdf

Chicago

Barcha, Juan Uribe, Felipe Bonilla Walker, Andrea Perez Limas, Lina Puerto, Valentina Sanmiguel, and Giovanni Pabón Restrepo. SITUACIÓN DEL MERCADO DEL CARBÓN E INCENTIVOS para su extracción y comercialización en Colombia. Transforma, 2021. https://transforma.global/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/21.05-Documento-1-1-Mercado-del-carbon.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Barcha |first1=Juan Uribe |last2=Walker |first2=Felipe Bonilla |last3=Limas |first3=Andrea Perez |last4=Puerto |first4=Lina |last5=Sanmiguel |first5=Valentina |last6=Restrepo |first6=Giovanni Pabón |title=SITUACIÓN DEL MERCADO DEL CARBÓN E INCENTIVOS para su extracción y comercialización en Colombia |publisher=Transforma |date=2021 |url=https://transforma.global/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/21.05-Documento-1-1-Mercado-del-carbon.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{barcha2021situacin, author = {Barcha, Juan Uribe and Walker, Felipe Bonilla and Limas, Andrea Perez and Puerto, Lina and Sanmiguel, Valentina and Restrepo, Giovanni Pabón}, title = {{SITUACIÓN DEL MERCADO DEL CARBÓN E INCENTIVOS para su extracción y comercialización en Colombia}}, institution = {Transforma}, year = {2021}, url = {https://transforma.global/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/21.05-Documento-1-1-Mercado-del-carbon.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }