Headlines
Colombia's Petro threatens to alter Glencore contract over Israel coal exports
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on July 23, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
Global Banking & Finance Review®
Company
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on July 23, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
Colombian President Petro threatens to change Glencore's coal contract over exports to Israel, despite Glencore's compliance with a decree.
BOGOTA (Reuters) -Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Tuesday threatened to unilaterally alter Glencore's concession contract if the mining giant continues to export coal to Israel, though the company said it has already ceased the shipments in compliance with a presidential decree.
"I am willing to unilaterally change the concession contract," Petro said during an energy event for the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC).
The president also warned that if Glencore refuses to comply with the decree to suspend the shipments, he would ask the local community near the mine to stage blockades.
In response, the company said it was already in compliance with the order.
"Cerrejon has acted in accordance with the decree issued by President Petro. In fact, our last shipment of coal was some two weeks before the decree came into effect," the company told Reuters.
Petro suspended exports of the fuel source to Israel over its assault on the Gaza Strip.
Israel's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Glencore's Cerrejon operation, located in Colombia's northeastern La Guajira province, is one of the world's largest open-pit coal export mines. It includes a 150-kilometer (93-mile) railway line and a port on the Caribbean Sea.
Cerrejon's production reached 19 million metric tons in 2024. In March, the company announced it would cut its annual thermal coal production by between 5 million and 10 million tons due to low mineral prices.
(Reporting by Nelson Bocanegra and Julia Symmes Cobb; Editing by Kylie Madry)
President Petro threatened to unilaterally alter Glencore's concession contract if the company continues to export coal to Israel.
Petro suspended exports of coal to Israel due to the country's assault on the Gaza Strip.
Glencore stated that its Cerrejon operation was already in compliance with the decree, noting that their last shipment occurred two weeks before the decree took effect.
Petro warned that if Glencore refuses to comply with the decree, he would ask the local community near the mine to stage blockades.
Cerrejon is one of the world's largest open-pit coal export mines, located in Colombia's La Guajira province, and it includes a 150-kilometer railway line.
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