Rondón Coal Mine
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Rondón Coal Mine (Proyecto Rondón, Mina Palmarito) is a shelved coal mine in Rondón, Boyacá, Colombia.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Mine Name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Rondón Coal Mine | Rondón, Boyacá, Colombia[1] | 5.34140063, -73.21509789 (approximate) |
The map below shows the approximate location of the coal mine:
Project Details
Table 2: Project status
| Status | Status Detail | Opening Year | Closing Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shelved[1] | – | – | – |
Table 3: Operation details
| Capacity (Mtpa) | Production (Mtpa) | Year of Production | Mine Type | Mining Method | Mine Size (km2) | Mine Depth (m) | Workforce Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.548[1] | – | – | Underground[1] | – | 11.9[1] | 494.0* | 100.0[1] |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| – | – | 51.0[1] | – | Bituminous[1] | Thermal | – |
Table 5: Ownership and parent company
| Owner | Parent Company | Headquarters |
|---|---|---|
| Carboandes[1] | Carboandes SA [100.0%] | – |
Note: The above sections were automatically generated and are based on data from the Global Coal Mine Tracker May 2026 release.
Ownership Tree
This ownership tree is part of the Global Energy Ownership Tracker, a project of Global Energy Monitor.
Background
The Rondón Coal Mine, also referred to as Mina Palmarito or Proyecto Rondón, is a shelved coal project located in the municipality of Rondón, department of Boyacá, Colombia, in the northeastern Lengupá Province. The concession area is situated in the Picapiedras sector, between the veredas Granada Oriente and Sucre, approximately 61 km from the departmental capital Tunja. The project is operated and owned by Carbones de los Andes S.A. (Carboandes), a Colombian mining company with over 30 years of operational history in coal exploration, production, transport, and commercialization.[2]
The project was classified as a brownfield expansion (reaprovechamiento greenfield). The planned mining method was mechanized underground, specifically using the horizontal sub-level method.[2]
Annual production was estimated to be of 300,000 tonnes. The projected mine life was 15 years.[2]
Mining Titles and Concession Area
The project comprised three active mining concession contracts, all held by Carboandes:
- 01229-15 — issued March 16, 2006
- GCF-101 — issued June 8, 2007
- GCF-153 — issued October 10
As of the August 2021 ANM project sheet, all three titles retained active status.[3]
The company filed for integration of the three concessions on February 24, 2016 (Rad. 2016-57-430), and a technical concept of March 26, 2016 found the integration viable. The integrated Work and Operations Plan (PTO) was filed on May 27, 2019. The combined concession area upon integration was 1,119.47 hectares, 100% owned by Carboandes.[2]
Geology, Coal Quality and Resource
The deposit belongs to the Formación Guaduas, a sedimentary stratified coal-bearing formation. According to sample analyses, the coals were classified as High Volatile Bituminous.[2]
Mineral resources, estimated using the Ecocarbón methodology, stood at 22.7 million tonnes (Mt) Measured and 27.9 Mt Indicated. Mineral reserves were listed as under study as of 2021.[2]
Investment
Total planned investment was US$400 million, associated with a linked thermal power generation project. Executed investment as of the 2021 project sheet was reported at US$6.5 million. Construction and operations start dates remained unspecified.[2]
Project Status and Regulatory History
Exploration at the site began in 2008. Corpoboyacá (local environmental regulator) granted a three-year environmental license to Carboandes on October 26, 2010, covering early mining activities across 300 hectares, though the full mining title covered 1,843.39 hectares in a water-sensitive zone.[4] On March 31, 2014, Corpoboyacá issued Resolution 0517 ordering the immediate suspension of all extraction activities, citing expiry of the environmental license and serious environmental violations, including impacts to the El Rosal stream and improper waste disposal. At the time of suspension, approximately 200 people were employed at the open-pit operation.[4]
Carboandes challenged the suspension before the Administrative Tribunal of Boyacá, seeking compensation of over COP$18 billion for losses; the Tribunal denied both the main claim and the indemnification request.[5]
Community opposition was among the factors that prevented the project from advancing, making it one of three medium-scale mining projects in Boyacá that had been unable to commence or had been forced to close operations. Zero[6]
As of the August 2021 ANM promotional sheet, the project remained at the pre-feasibility stage. The environmental license had not been reissued; integration of the three mining titles was pending regulatory resolution, and the EIA could not be initiated without it. The integrated PTO was on file with the ANM but had not yet received approval.[2]
As of March 2026, no public information was available indicating that the project had resumed operations or obtained a new environmental license. Therefore the project was considered "shelved".
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 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 (PDF) https://mineriaencolombia.anm.gov.co/sites/default/files/docupromocion/Proyecto%20Rond%C3%B3n%2008%202021.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 "Proyecto Rondón" (PDF). Agencia Nacional de Minería (ANM). August 25, 2021. Retrieved March 30, 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Mining Title Search". AnnA Minería – Agencia Nacional de Minería (ANM). Retrieved March 30, 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Minería en Rondón Boyacá". El Tiempo. April 3, 2014. Retrieved March 30, 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Carbones de los Andes no seguirá explotando en Rondón". Observatorio de Conflictos Mineros de América Latina. November 24, 2017. Retrieved March 30, 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Minería del carbón en Boyacá: entre la informalidad minera, la crisis de un sector y su potencial para el desarrollo". Zero – Universidad Externado de Colombia. August 9, 2024. Retrieved March 30, 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
