What is Colombia's pathway to limit global warming to 1.5°C?

Industry

Decarbonising the industry sector

Colombia’s industrial energy use emissions were 7.5% of the country’s total emissions in 2024 with industry process emissions accounting for a further 6.5%. The fossil fuel industry produced roughly 6% of total emissions in 2024. In 2023, the industry sector primarily relied on fossil fuels (72%), with oil at 32% of the sector’s mix, followed by coal and fossil gas at 20% each. The electrification rate of the sector is relatively low, at 14%, with an equivalent share of biomass in the energy mix.

Colombia has four major industrial centres: Bogota, Medellin, Cali, and Barranquilla. The main industries are textiles, chemical products, metallurgy, cement, and packaging. Industry represents 25% of GDP and employs 20% of the workforce. The country also has significant extractive activity in areas like coal, oil, gas, nickel, gold, silver, platinum, and emeralds.1,2

Colombia's energy mix in the industry sector

petajoule per year

Scaling

Fuel shares include both energy and non-energy use (eg. the use of oil to generate heat for industry use and as a feedstock to produce products such as plastics).

According to the Highest Possible Ambition (HPA) scenario, industry’s electrification rate more than triples between now and 2040 pushing coal’s share to less than 2%. Fossil gas and oil would also see their shares reduced, together accounting for 37% of the mix in 2023, despite growing energy demand. Electrification is supported by the growing share of hydrogen as well as heat. By 2050, Colombia could transform its industry energy mix and push fossil fuels to below 1%, while the sector’s energy demand increases by more than 90% compared to 2023 levels.

Hydrogen use peaks in 2050 reaching a 20% share. According to Colombia’s Hydrogen Strategy, the government plans to install 1-3 GW of electrolysis capacity for making green hydrogen by 2030. However, the strategy also targets the production of 50,000 tonnes of blue hydrogen (produced with fossil gas) by 2030.3

Across the country, more than 30 hydrogen projects are in different stages of development. More than USD 40 billion is currently being invested for production and extraction plans. The Coral project (Cartagena) is projected to generate 800 tonnes of hydrogen per year at low cost.

Biofuels and biogas can play a complementary role. Under the HPA scenario, they would peak their shares in 2050 before scaling back until 2070, replaced largely by synthetic fuels. By 2070, electricity plays the major role in Colombia’s industry mix, reaching almost 53% of the total mix. Provided that Colombia follows this trajectory, its industry sector’s direct CO₂ emissions could peak in 2025 and reach zero just before 2045.

Colombia's industry sector direct CO₂ emissions (from energy demand)

MtCO₂/yr

Direct CO₂ emissions only are considered (see power sector for electricity related emissions, hydrogen and heat emissions are not considered here).

Colombia's GHG emissions from industrial processes

MtCO₂e/yr

1.5°C compatible industry sector benchmarks

Direct CO₂ emissions, direct electrification rates, and combined shares of electricity, hydrogen and biomass from the HPA scenario for Colombia

Indicator
2023
2030
2035
2040
2050
2060
2070
Industry sector decarbonised by
Direct CO₂ emissions
MtCO₂/yr
15
13
7
2
0
-1
-3
2041
Relative to reference year in %
-13%
-53%
-87%
-100%
-107%
-120%
Indicator
2023
2030
2035
2040
2050
2060
2070
Share of electricity, hydrogen and biomass
%
28
36
57
83
95
82
79

Fuel shares include both energy and non-energy use (eg. the use of oil to generate heat for industry use and as a feedstock to produce products such as plastics).
Direct CO₂ emissions only are considered (see power sector analysis, hydrogen and heat emissions are not considered here). All values are rounded. Year of full decarbonisation is based on a carbon intensity threshold of 5gCO₂/MJ.

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