The appointment of María Nohemí Arboleda as the new Minister of Mines and Energy by the president-elect Abelardo de la Espriella has been received with widespread and unanimous optimism by the main mining and energy sector guilds in Colombia.
The arrival of the official to this strategic portfolio is interpreted by the industry as a necessary shift towards technical rigor, regulatory stability, and the depoliticization of decisions, marking a roadmap focused on the security, sovereignty, and energy self-sufficiency of the country.
One of the sectors that reacted most promptly was the mining sector. The Colombian Mining Association (ACM) celebrated the appointment, stating that it represents a huge opportunity to recover mining as the development engine that Colombia needs.
The ACM emphasized the willingness to work jointly to build trust and make coordinated technical decisions among the Government, industry, and communities, with the goal of transforming the vast geological potential of the national territory into certainties and well-being for thousands of Colombian families.
In a similar line of thought, the National Federation of Coal Producers (Fenalcarbón) highlighted that this ministerial change comes at the right time to move from ideological approaches to real energy sovereignty.
The guild urged recognition of the strategic role that coal plays in competitiveness, industrialization, regional employment, and the security of the productive system, insisting that national mining policy must be guided by dialogue and technical evidence.
For its part, the hydrocarbons sector also expressed its institutional support, based on the confidence inspired by the trajectory of the new minister María Nohemí Arboleda.
The Colombian Petroleum Association (ACP) expressed its confidence that the leadership, the already demonstrated management capacity of Arboleda, and her commitment to institutional strengthening will be key pillars to build a long-term agenda.
Under this premise, the ACP made its knowledge and experience available to the Executive through its proposal ‘Growth Agenda for Colombia’, conceiving that a coordinated effort between academia, Government, regions, and industry will allow the design of true State policies that restore self-sufficiency to the country.
Joining this support was the Colombian Chamber of Oil, Gas, and Energy Goods and Services (Campetrol), which rated as a valuable strength the more than three decades of experience of Arboleda in planning, operation, and management of electric systems and wholesale markets.
Campetrol reiterated its willingness to promote a sustainability and economic growth policy focused on four critical fronts: increasing production in existing fields, developing the gas potential, promoting unconventional reservoirs, and accelerating the signing of new exploratory contracts.
The technical vision of the minister was also supported by the Colombian Association of Petroleum Engineers (Acipet), which agreed that her experience is a unique opportunity to consolidate national energy development through investment and the responsible use of all available resources.
Acipet recalled that hydrocarbons remain the fiscal and social pillar of the nation, urging the new administration to accelerate project execution and mining and energy exploration to safeguard internal supply.
Finally, the electricity and public services sector, represented by the Colombian Association of Electric Power Generators (Acolgén) and the National Association of Public Services and Communications Companies (Andesco), highly valued the minister’s immediate past.
Acolgén highlighted that her previous role as general manager of XM — the operator of the National Interconnected System — gives her deep and firsthand knowledge of regulatory complexities and the reliability challenges of the electricity market.
For this guild, the highest priority lies in rebuilding bridges of trust between the State, investors, and industry, a historic factor that positioned Colombia as an international benchmark in the matter.
In line, Andesco highlighted the technical criteria and historic commitment of María Nohemí Arboleda, while taking advantage of the opportunity to call on institutions: the guild insisted on the need to implement strictly meritocratic processes for appointing executives and ensuring total independence and separation of functions in sector agencies.
With these statements, the guilds close ranks around the new minister, agreeing that only technical solidity and institutional stability will allow Colombia to overcome its contemporary energy challenges.
Read more Abelardo de la Espriella appoints María Nohemí Arboleda, current XM manager, as Minister of Mines
