Colombia: Overcoming Challenges in the Coal Sector

Colombia's coal sector, one of the driving forces behind Colombia's economic growth over the past decade, is off to an inauspicious start in 2013. Indeed, a litany of environmental, labor and security concerns appear to be undermining an otherwise successful operation. But these obstacles are relatively minor and ultimately will not impede the overall growth of the mining sector significantly. In addition, Bogota frequently intervenes to resolve issues before they can harm output, so those with interests in the coal sector are insulated somewhat from any potential instability.