Ecopetrol granted geothermal exploration permit in Azufral, Colombia
Signing ceremony of Azufral geothermal exploration permit, Colombia (source: Ministry of Mines and Energy)
Carlo Cariaga
22 Jul 2025
The Ministry of Mines and Energy has granted Ecopetrol a geothermal exploration permit for the Azufral site in Nariño, Colombia with a potential 80-MW capacity.
The Minister of Mines and Energy of Colombia has officially signed the resolution granting local energy company Ecopetrol the geothermal exploration permit for the the 148-km² Azufral001 area, located in the municipalities of Guachucal, Mallama, Santacruz, Sapuyes, and Túquerres, in the department of Nariño. The project will aim to determine the potential generation capacity for the license area, initially estimated at 80 MW.
The permit, valid for five years, begins the exploratory phase, during which Ecopetrol will conduct geological, geochemical, and geophysical studies, as well as drill wells to determine the technical and economic viability of the resource. Initial studies indicate that subsurface temperatures in Azufral are between 230 to 280 °C.
The launch of the geothermal exploration project was chaired by Gustavo Petro, the President of Colombia, who emphasized that geothermal is one of the clean energies that must be exploited, and that the government must remove environmental barriers to its development. Ricardo Roa Barragán, President of Ecopetrol, added that the initiative is a significant step towards the company’s goal of sustainable operations and a more diverse energy mix. The company has also been involved in geothermal initiatives elsewhere in Colombia, such as in Caldas and in the Nereidas Valley.
“This demonstrates that the energy transition is not a fairy tale: we are making it a reality, and no one can stop us. It is the beginning of a legacy that consolidates Colombia as a leader in clean energy sources such as solar, wind, hydrogen, and now, also the heat of the earth,” further added Edwin Palma Egea, Minister of Mines and Energy.
Ecopetrol must strictly comply with the technical, environmental, and social requirements established in Resolution 40302 of 2022 and Decree 1598 of 2024, which regulate the development of geothermal energy in Colombia. This includes providing compliance guarantees, obtaining environmental licenses, and submitting periodic reports on the progress of exploration activities.
The development of this initiative has the technical and scientific support of the Ecopetrol Group and the Colombian Institute of Petroleum and Energies of the Transition (ICPET), as well as the accompaniment of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, the Government of Nariño, local authorities, academia, and entities such as ANLA, ANH, and FENOGE.
Furthermore, the project does not overlap with other areas of the National System of Protected Areas (SINAP) and includes active community relations actions, in accordance with the social guidelines defined by the Ministry of Mines and Energy.
Source: Ecopetrol and Ministry of Mines and Energy
