Ministry of Mines and Energy declares natural gas rationing nationwide

The Ministry of Mines and Energy declared the start of a Scheduled Natural Gas Rationing across all national production supply sources starting at 00:00 hours on October 27, 2026, through Resolution 40585 of 2026, signed by Minister María Nohemí Arboleda Arango on October 26 and published in the Official Gazette edition 53,671 on Tuesday, October 27, 2026. The decision is due to a failure in one of the regasification trains of the Sociedad Portuaria El Cayao (SPEC LNG) terminal in Cartagena, which restricts 133 MMSCFD of imported gas. The rationing will remain in effect until SPEC reports that the causes have been overcome and the Ministry declares its cessation.

The immediate background

The regulation is based on Article 16 of Law 401 of 1997 and Article 2.2.2.2.4 of Decree 1073 of 2015, which empower the Government to establish the priority order of service when there are insurmountable restrictions in the gas supply. This is not the first time this month: Resolution 40524 of 2026, dated September 25, had already declared rationing due to an operational condition at the same terminal, with an availability of 400 out of 475 MMSCFD, and Resolution 40538 of 2026, dated September 29, declared its cessation at 23:59 on that day following the recovery of capacity.

On this occasion, the total capacity of the infrastructure is 533 MMSCFD. The Ministry also warned that the National Coast and Interior Transport System is operating in range 3, under conditions of risk of non-compliance in the transport of gas to its shippers.

The shortage figures

The National Natural Gas Operations Council (CNO Gas) communicated the operational condition on October 26. Calamarí LGN S. A. ESP notified the event at 06:00 p.m. and the Maintenance and Intervention Coordination Committee (COMI) met at 06:45 p.m. The data recorded in the resolution are:

• Total regasification infrastructure capacity: 533 MMSCFD.
• Availability after the failure: 400 MMSCFD.
• Total restriction of regasified imported natural gas: 133 MMSCFD.
• Gas not supplied on the gas day of October 26: approximately 30 MMSCFD.
• Forecast shortage from October 27 until the end of the event: 133 MMSCFD.
• Estimated duration of the event: between 6 and 8 days.
• Shortage corresponding to Essential Demand: 30,957 MMBTUD.

The Ministry maintains that no additional quantities are available from other national sources to meet the essential demand affected by the event at the floating regasification unit.

The priority order

Resolution 40585 of 2026 establishes the following order of service among agents with firm contracts or those that guarantee firmness:

• First, Essential Demand, in the order of article 2.2.2.1.4 of Decree 1073 of 2015.
• Second, non-essential demand for thermal generation.
• Then, non-essential industrial demand necessary for the transport of crude oil destined for refining, to guarantee liquid fuels in the country.
• Next, non-essential demand with current contracts registered with the market manager with a guarantee of uninterrupted supply.
• Following that, other current contracts registered with the market manager.
• Lastly, firmly agreed exports.

The volume will be assigned by producer-marketers, marketers, importing agents, regasification infrastructure operators, and transporters, who must allow the necessary renominations. For the duration of the rationing, transporters may not accept renominations to increase the initially nominated daily quantities, and CNO Gas will send a daily report to the Ministry on the application of the prioritization.

Prices, thermal plants, and validity

Article 3 prohibits contracting prioritized gas at a price higher than that agreed upon between the buyer and the owner of the reassigned gas; contracts must be registered with the Natural Gas Market Manager in accordance with CREG Resolution 102 015 of 2025. Article 5 establishes that thermoelectric agents with Firm Energy Obligations shall honor their obligation with the fuel from the main supply contract, according to CREG Resolution 034 of 2001, unless the supply of fuels for generation is affected. The validity extends from the date of publication until the cessation declared by the Ministry.

The measure reaches users in a country where the distribution of fuel gas is an essential public service: households, commerce, industry, and thermal generation are subject to an administered allocation for at least one week, with essential demand as the first protected and a price ceiling for reassigned gas.

Source: Official Gazette, edition 53,671 of Tuesday, October 27, 2026, section I, page 14 (official reference: Resolution 40585 of 2026).