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The 2020 Energy Trilemma Index for Colombia analyzes the electricity sector across its departments, highlighting a strong dependence on hydroelectric power (72% of the national matrix) and significant regional disparities. While departments like Antioquia, Boyacá, and La Guajira show high energy security, there are stark gaps in energy equity, particularly between the National Interconnected System (SIN) and Non-Interconnected Zones (ZNI). The report also notes that environmental sustainability is compromised in departments relying on fossil fuels, with Casanare and Atlántico recording high CO2 emissions per capita.

This discussion brief examines the political economy of large-scale coal production in Colombia, analyzing the conflict between entrenched industry interests and growing social, environmental, and legal opposition. It details how the coal sector, once a pillar of national development, now faces challenges from declining global demand, judicial activism by the Constitutional Court, and local resistance, forcing companies to shift their public relations and political strategies.