El Corozo Coal Mine
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El Corozo Coal Mine (Mina de carbón El Corozo) is an operating coal mine in La Jagua de Ibírico, Cesar, Colombia.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Mine Name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| El Corozo Coal Mine | La Jagua de Ibírico, Cesar, Colombia | 9.496821, -73.49205 (exact) |
The map below shows the exact location of the coal mine:
Project Details
Table 2: Project status
| Status | Status Detail | Opening Year | Closing Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operating | – | 2021 | – |
Table 3: Operation details
| Capacity (Mtpa) | Production (Mtpa) | Year of Production | Mine Type | Mining Method | Mine Size (km2) | Mine Depth (m) | Workforce Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| – | 2.15[1] | 2024[1] | Surface | Open Pit[2] | 163.97[3] | 50* | 937.6883209* |
Table 4: Coal resources and destination
| Total Reserves (Mt) | Year of Total Reserves Recorded | Total Resources (Mt) | Coalfield | Coal Type | Coal Grade | Primary Consumer/ Destination |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 120.9 | – | – | – | Subbituminous | Thermal | – |
Table 5: Ownership and parent company
| Owner | Parent Company | Headquarters |
|---|---|---|
| Drummond Ltd [100.0%][4] | Drummond Company Inc [100%] | United States |
Table 6: Historical production (unit: million tonnes per annum)
| ROM or Saleable | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ROM[5] | – | – | – | – | 0.7[5] | 1.4[6] | 2.15[7] | 2.15[1] | – |
Note: The above sections were automatically generated and are based on data from the Global Coal Mine Tracker August 2026 release.
Ownership Tree
This ownership tree is part of the Global Energy Ownership Tracker, a project of Global Energy Monitor.
Background
El Corozo mine or Mina El Corozo is located in northern Colombia, near La Jagua de Ibírico in Colombia's Cesar Department.[8] The El Corozo mine covereы a contract area of approximately 16,397 hectares (164 km2) and is located in the municipalities of La Jagua de Ibírico and Chiriguaná in Cesar Department.[9]
Mina El Corozo is one of three coal mines in Colombia's Cesar department owned by Alabama-based Drummond Company Inc and operated through its Colombian subsidiary Drummond International LLC.[8] The El Corozo mine began commercial operations in March 2021, joining Drummond's two other existing mines, El Descanso and Pribbenow.[10]
The mine was developed within Drummond’s broader mining complex in Cesar, which included integrated coal extraction, rail transportation over approximately 120 miles, and export infrastructure at a deep-water port.[11]
Coal Production
Coal production at the El Corozo mine increased following the start of operations. The mine produced 670,000 tonnes of coal in 2021[12], rising to approximately 1.4 million tonnes in 2022.[13]
Production continued to grow and then stabilize, reaching approximately 2.15 million tonnes in both 2023[14] and 2024.[15]
Land Restitution Case
According to media reports, a Colombian court ruled in 2024 that land used by Drummond in Cesar had been unlawfully dispossessed during the armed conflict, ordering restitution to the state and compensation to affected families by public funds, while allowing the company to continue mining operations under its existing license until 2039.[16]
As of 2025–2026, no further updates on the land restitution ruling involving Drummond’s operations in Cesar had been reported.
Coal Production & Exports by Drummond
Drummond reported that it had been Colombia's leading coal producer for six consecutive years as of 2021, with total production from its Colombian mines reaching 28.9 million tonnes and exports totaling 31.5 million tonnes that year.[8] Coal exports continued to grow thereafter, reaching a record 33.5 million tonnes in 2022, compared to 26.3 million tonnes in 2020, the lowest level recorded in the previous five years.[17] See data for other years in the table below.
In April 2025, Drummond reported plans to reduce its operations in Colombia’s Cesar Department due to market conditions, including lower demand, higher transport costs, and a portion of production remaining unsold.[18]
Production and Exports - Drummond Mines in Colombia
| Year | El Corozo (Mtpa) | El Descanso (Mtpa) | Pribbenow (Mtpa) | Total Production (Mtpa) | Total Exports (Mtpa) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2.2[15] | 21.7[15] | 3.8[15] | 27.7 | 30.2[15] |
| 2023 | 2.2[14] | 21.4[14] | 6.0[14] | 29.5[14] | 27[14] |
| 2022 | 1.4[19] | 20.4[19] | 5.75[19] | 27.7[19] | |
| 2021 | 0.7[8] | 20.6[8] | 7.6[8] | 28.9[8] | 31.5[8] |
| 2020 | 21.5[20] | 7.8[20] | 29.3[8] | 29.7[8] | |
| 2019 | 23.1[21] | 9.5[21] | 32.6[8] | 31.1[8] | |
| 2018 | 30.8[8] | 31.5[8] | |||
| 2017 | 32.5[8] | 32.4[8] |
Articles and Resources
Additional data
To access additional data, including an interactive map of world coal mines, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Mine Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 (PDF) https://drummondltd.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Drummond-in-figures-2024.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://www.drummondco.com/our-products/coal/mines/.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://drummondltd.com/en/our-operations/mining-operations/.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20260702184632/https://drummondltd.com/en/our-operations/mining-operations/. Archived from the original on 02 July 2026.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|archive-date=(help); Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 5.0 5.1 "2021 Sustainability Report". issuu. Archived from the original on 2024-01-25. Retrieved 2023-08-03.
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20240229044652/https://issuu.com/drummondltd/docs/drummond_en_cifras_2022.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ (PDF) https://drummondltd.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Drummond-in-figures-2023.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 8.00 8.01 8.02 8.03 8.04 8.05 8.06 8.07 8.08 8.09 8.10 8.11 8.12 8.13 8.14 8.15 "2021 Sustainability Report (pp 12, 19-21, 57, 70)". Drummond Ltd. Colombia. January 31, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Mining operations". https://drummondltd.com/. 2024. Retrieved March
26, 2026.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|access-date=(help); External link in|website=|access-date=at position 6 (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Paulo Gonzalez (March 16, 2021). "Drummond announces the first 1,000 tons of coal from its El Corozo mine in Cesar". Drummond Ltd.
- ↑ "Why Coal". https://drummondco.com/. 2024. Retrieved March 26, 2026.
{{cite web}}: External link in|website= - ↑ "Drummond in figures 2021" (PDF). https://drummondltd.com/. 2024. Retrieved March
26, 2026.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|access-date=(help); External link in|website=|access-date=at position 6 (help); line feed character in|title=at position 9 (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Drummond en cifras 2022". https://issuu.com/. 2023. Retrieved March 26, 2026.
{{cite web}}: External link in|website=|title=at position 9 (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 14.5 "Drummond in figures 2023" (PDF). https://drummondltd.com/. 2024. Retrieved March 26, 2026.
{{cite web}}: External link in|website=|title=at position 9 (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 "Drummond in figures 2024" (PDF). https://drummondltd.com/. 2025. Retrieved March 26, 2026.
{{cite web}}: External link in|website= - ↑ "Tribunal ordena restitución de tierras en zona minera de Drummond". https://www.youtube.com/. 2024. Retrieved March 26, 2026.
{{cite web}}: External link in|website= - ↑ "Drummond in figures 2024" (PDF). https://drummondltd.com/. 2025. Retrieved March 26, 2026.
{{cite web}}: External link in|website= - ↑ "La minera Drummond reduciría su operación en Cesar por condiciones de mercado". https://www.larepublica.co/. April 7, 2025. Retrieved March 26, 2026.
{{cite web}}: External link in|website= - ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 "Drummon en Cifras 2022". Drummond Ltd. January 1, 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 20.0 20.1 "2020 Sustainability Report (p 31)". Drummond Ltd. Colombia. January 2021.
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 "2019 Sustainability Report (p 42)". Drummond Ltd. Colombia. January 2020.
