CAMPETROL held a meeting in July with Guyana’s ambassador to Colombia, Richard Van West Charles, to discuss the remarkable energy development that the country has experienced in recent years. Photo: Campetrol social media
Guacamaya, September 22, 2025. The Colombian hydrocarbon sector has intensified its presence in Guyana through business agreements and increased air connectivity. However, the possibility of importing gas from Venezuela remains blocked by U.S. sanctions, heightening fears of a supply deficit by 2026.
Contractor companies grouped in the Colombian Chamber of Oil, Gas, and Energy Goods and Services (Campetrol) have sought new opportunities in Guyana, against a backdrop of lower investment in Colombia. The guild signed a memorandum of understanding with that country’s Guyana Oil & Gas Energy Chamber (GOGEC) to promote cooperation in the oil, gas, and energy sectors.
This rapprochement was also accompanied by the reopening of the Colombian embassy in Georgetown after 23 years and the start of Avianca’s direct flights between Bogotá and the Guyanese capital. Furthermore, ProColombia has promoted business meetings to increase exports to that market.
In contrast, energy projects with Venezuela remain limited. The President of Ecopetrol’s Board of Directors, Mónica de Greiff, stated in an interview days ago for Caracol Radio that “direct gas from Venezuela for Ecopetrol is not going to happen,” recalling that sanctions from the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) prohibit transactions with state-owned companies such as PDVSA and Pequiven.
Although the Minister of Mines and Energy, Edwin Palma, had expressed confidence in July about moving forward with these operations, international restrictions keep the possibilities for cooperation frozen. On that occasion, Palma also acknowledged the existence of a confidentiality agreement to evaluate the purchase of Monómeros—a Pequiven subsidiary in Barranquilla—which was frustrated by the international restrictions.
The lack of local exploration in Colombia and the energy transition driven by the government foreshadow a delicate scenario: industrial guilds warn that the country could face a deficit of up to 20% in gas supply by 2026, just when dependence on external sources will be most critical.
