Puerto Brisa Coal Terminal

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The Puerto Brisa coal terminal is an operating coal terminal near Dibulla, in La Guajira, Colombia.

Inaugurated in 2014, the terminal has a loading capacity of 5000 tons of coal per hour and a 66-foot deep harbor capable of receiving capesize ships up to 180,000 tons DWT.

Location

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Background

Enjoying an advantageous location between the Panama Canal and Colombia's most productive coalfields, the Puerto Brisa coal terminal was designed to export the massive amounts of coal that Colombia expected to mine and export in coming decades. Construction of the port began in July 2010 and was completed in 2014, following temporary setbacks that included protests from indigenous groups opposed to the port's construction on environmental grounds. In August 2014, Italian manufacturer Bedeschi delivered a shiploader and more than three kilometers of conveyers to Puerto Brisa, and in October 2014, the new port loaded its first export shipment of coal produced by Brisa S.A., a consortium that operates mines in Colombia's Santander region. Coal Age magazine reported that Pacific Coal Resources of Canada, whose La Caypa and Cerro Largo mines are located within 250 km of the port, was also likely to start exporting coal from Puerto Brisa.

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos attended the port's official inauguration ceremony in December 2014, stating that “We are realizing our dream of catching up on infrastructure.” At the time of its inauguration in 2014, the port reportedly had the potential to handle 30 million tonnes of coal, although its initial permit limited maximum operating capacity to 3 million tonnes. According to Madrid-based energy analyst Andres Cala Campo, Puerto Brisa was likely to operate well below full capacity for the foreseeable future due to unfavorable coal prices and the lack of a railroad to transport coal from Colombia's interior mines to the port. Puerto Brisa's company chairman Fabio Ramirez, in a conversation with Mr. Cala Campo, estimated that the port would only export two million tons of coal in 2015, far less than the 30 million tons it was designed to handle. Mr. Cala Campo predicted that for the foreseeable future ― pending an increase in world coal prices that would make construction of a railway economically viable ― all coal exported through Puerto Brisa would have to travel from Colombia's interior mines by truck, adding significantly to the cost. In the meantime, he expected Puerto Brisa to "focus on smaller coal producers with mining operations in the vicinity that lack their own export facilities, like Centromin and Pacific Coal."

As of 2017, coal for the port was being sourced from a variety of Colombian mines in La Guajira, Santander, Norte de Santander and Cundinamarca departments, with the La Caypa mine identified as the largest contributor.

Coal throughput statistics

Puerto Brisa has continued to export coal since its original commissioning in late 2014, although it has only operated at a small fraction of its coal handling design capacity. Coal processing figures from 2017 to 2024 were as follows:

• 2017 1,086,148 tonnes
• 2018 979,555 tonnes
• 2019 961,549 tonnes
• 2020 787,210 tonnes
• 2021 697,244 tonnes
• 2022 1,685,176 tonnes
• 2023 1,835,733 tonnes
• 2024 1,458,872 tonnes
• 2025 1,200,140 tonnes

Proposed expansions

As of January 2015, the Puerto Brisa website called for two expansions of the terminal project. Phase Two of the project called for construction of a 325km railway that would connect the port to Colombia's interior coal mines, coupled with expansion of the port's processing capacity to 50 million tonnes per year. Phase Three of the project called for the construction of five additional piers to handle containers and general cargo.

As of June 2019, the rail corridor expansion was still undergoing feasibility studies, with an estimated project cost of $680 million USD.

As of July 2022, there had been no progress on the construction of the port expansion or the railway.

A World Bank report published in 2025 made it clear that neither of the proposed expansions had taken place. Puerto Brisa was described as having an "underutilized single quay" and mostly handling "coal exports arriving by truck from coal mines in the interior of the country." With no further news in more than four years, both expansion projects were presumed to be cancelled.

Diversification of commerce at Puerto Brisa

The Colombian government has described Puerto Brisa as a multipurpose port designed to handle bulk cargo, containers and general cargo. Aside from coal, the port has handled turbines and towers for wind power projects in the surrounding department of La Guajira. In 2025, the World Bank identified Puerto Brisa as one of the four Colombian ports best positioned to anchor future value chains for green hydrogen–based fuels.

Temporary suspensions of activity

In July 2017, citing multiple infractions, Colombia's environmental regulatory agency ANLA indefinitely suspended all coal operations at the Puerto Brisa terminal, including storage, receiving, loading, and unloading of coal. Prior to issuing its ruling, ANLA performed several inspections at the site in response to complaints from members of the local community. Violations discovered during these inspections included improper storage of coal, improper unloading procedures, insufficient cleanup of tractor trailers following coal delivery, and pollution of the terminal's dock area and adjacent ocean waters. The suspension was lifted after one month.

In late February 2026, operations at Puerto Brisa were temporarily suspended by a blockade imposed by local community members. However, the port appeared to have resumed normal service shortly thereafter, following negotiations with ANLA and municipal authorities. A June 2026 statistical report from the Colombian government showed that Puerto Brisa had shipped 368,627 tonnes of coal in the first six months of 2026.

Project Details

• Operator: Sociedad Portuaria Puerto Brisa S.A.
• Location: Dibulla, La Guajira Department, Colombia
• Existing Capacity (Tonnes per annum): 30 million
• Additional Proposed Capacity (Tonnes per annum): 20 million
• Status: Operating
• Start date: 2014
• Type: Exports
• Source of Coal: Colombia
• Cost of Expansion:
• Financing for Expansion:

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