Colombia’s mining industry is going through a difficult period. The government of President Gustavo Petro is pushing ahead with reforms to fit the sector into the global transition to green energy. However on the way of investors regulatory instability, security risks and political turbulence arise. Last year the industry shrank by 6.2%.
Colombia remains a major supplier of raw materials: it is one of the world’s top five coal exporters, a leading producer of emeralds and the second largest producer of nickel in South America after Brazil. But her best hope for the future is copper. At the same time, its own copper production is still scanty: the only significant mine, El Roble, produced only 4.2 thousand tons last year. By comparison, neighboring Chile and Peru produced 5.5 million and 2.7 million tons respectively.
At the end of 2025, the National Mining Agency put up for auction 14 promising copper sites in the south of the country. This is part of a large-scale development plan for 2024–2035, which declared strategic 17 minerals, including copper, nickel, zinc, gold and others.
But the potential of the deposits is limited by land barriers. Experts agree that the geological reserves of copper in the country are significant – about 9.7 million tons. However, development is hampered not by the subsoil, but by the lack of predictable rules of the game.
The period from discovery to launch of a mine is 15–20 years, so the stability of the regulatory environment is critical. The country needs to clarify the future of the mining code, the terms of concessions and the role of the planned state-owned EcoMinerales before it plans to invest heavily.
The tax burden is also growing. Late last year, Congress approved a reform that eliminated the deductibility of royalties from income taxes for mining companies. The corporate tax rate is 35%, and with additional levies linked to raw material prices, the total burden could reach 45–50%.
Environmental restrictions add to the uncertainty. The Ministry of the Environment can suspend activities at sites for up to 10 years. Regional authorities are also introducing their own bans. In October 2025, a draft of a new Mining Code was presented that would ban large-scale mining near the Amazon.
The Fraser Institute’s Investment Attractiveness Index ranks Colombia 42nd out of 68 overall, making it one of the least attractive jurisdictions in the region.
A separate challenge is illegal mining and related crime. The informal sector accounts for about three-quarters of Colombia’s gold exports. Illegal mining is intertwined with drug trafficking, increasing transaction costs and risks for legitimate companies.
The outcome of the presidential elections on May 31 will likely determine the future direction of politics. If a left-wing candidate close to the current administration wins, reforms will continue to tighten. The arrival of a centrist or centre-right could pave the way for simplification of regulation and restoration of investor confidence.
Strategically, Colombia is in an advantageous position: it has resources that are in demand in the era of energy transition. But in order to turn potential into real projects, it needs not just a set of benefits, but a package of trust: stable rules, clear environmental criteria, predictable approval deadlines and transparent mechanisms for taking into account the interests of local communities. Without this, even the richest mineral resources will remain untouched.
Source: mining.com
Image: USGS, Asociación Colombiana de Minería, ColombiaOne
