San Juaquin Coal Mine
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San Juaquin Coal Mine (Mina San Juaquin) is an operating coal mine in Amagá, Antioquia, Colombia.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Mine Name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| San Juaquin Coal Mine | Amagá, Antioquia, Colombia | 6.037294, -75.6932 (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[1] | – | 2008 | – |
Table 3: Operation details
| Capacity (Mtpa) | Production (Mtpa) | Year of Production | Mine Type | Mining Method | Mine Size (km2) | Mine Depth (m) | Workforce Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| – | 0.29[2] | 2021[2] | Underground | – | – | 494.0* | 366.0[3] |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25.0 | – | – | – | Subbituminous | Thermal | – |
Table 5: Ownership and parent company
| Owner | Parent Company | Headquarters |
|---|---|---|
| Carbones San Fernando S.A.S.[1] | Carbones San Fernando SAS [100.0%] | Colombia |
Table 6: Historical production (unit: million tonnes per annum)
| ROM or Saleable | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ROM[4] | 0.18[5] | 0.18[5] | 0.18[5] | – | 0.29[4] | – | – | – | – |
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
San Juaquin Mine or San Joaquin Mine is a closed coal mine located in the municipality of Amagá, in southwestern Antioquia, Colombia.[6] The San Juaquin Mine is owned by Carbones San Fernando SAS[6][7][8], which is a subsidiary of Grupo Corporativo Vatia S.A.S (Vatia).[6] Operating since April 2008, it is one of the largest longwall mines in Colombia.[6] The mine's initial production was 80,600 tons per year, but according to the EPA, between 2008 and 2017 the mine "consistently produced approximately 180,000 tons per year" with "an estimated operational life span of over 50 years."[6] A more recent report from 2021 estimated that the mine's average production was 800 tonnes of coal per day.[9]
Accidents and Fatalities
2010 Explosion
73 miners died in an explosion in the San Juaquin Mine in 2010. According to reporters, it was one of the "worst mining accidents in the country." One week prior to the explosion, an engineer had warned that something must be urgently done by Carbones San Fernando SAS to control the high temperatures inside the mine, improve ventilation, lower the dangerous level of methane gas, and manage dust. Reports later found that the dust and gas in the mine made it easier for the fire to spread throughout the mine, killing the miners. The cause of the fire remains unknown.[10][11] The company offered new homes and payments of two million pesos to the miners' widows, in exchange for giving up their claims to any future compensation.[10]
2023 Machinery-Related Fatality
In April 2023, a young man died after injuries incurred in the San Juaquin mine when the man was trapped in mining-related machinery.[12]
Company Financial Difficulties and Change of Ownership
In October 2025, Carbones San Fernando S.A.S. was declared subject to judicial liquidation proceedings by Colombia's Superintendencia de Sociedades, effective October 28, 2025, leaving over 240 workers unemployed. The company had accumulated overdue administrative obligations exceeding COP$4.198 billion (approximately US$976,000). Shortly after, an investor from Boyacá department agreed to take over the mine under a six-month lease with an option to purchase, allowing operations to resume under a new name and operator. Approximately 150 of the 241 displaced workers were expected to be rehired. A decision on whether to proceed with the purchase was expected upon expiry of the lease agreement.[13]
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 https://www.elcolombiano.com/antioquia/mina-san-fernando-carbon-amaga-seguira-operando-cambia-duenos-OL30913296.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 2.0 2.1 (PDF) https://gmhabogados.com.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/2012-00099-03.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://repositorio.uptc.edu.co/bitstream/handle/001/1885/TGT-461.pdf;jsessionid=A11D646030608C62A21D2EEC92719BD5?sequence=26.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 4.0 4.1 (PDF) https://web.archive.org/web/20240229064631/https://gmhabogados.com.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/2012-00099-03.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 (PDF) https://www.globalmethane.org/documents/san-juaquin-colombia-pre-feas.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 United States Environmental Protection Agency Coalbed outreach program Pre-Feasibility Study for Methane Drainage and Utilization at the San Juaquin Mine, Antioquia Department, Colombia United States Government, July 2017, accessed Nov 7, 2019
- ↑ "Colombia: Minería para la Vida (p 29)" (PDF). Agencia Nacional de Minería. December 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Colombia - Diversidad Minera (p 21)" (PDF). Agencia Nacional de Minería. April 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Reparación de Perjuicios / Culpa Patronal (p 3-30)" (PDF). Tribunal Administrativo de Antioquia. September 9, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 10.0 10.1 Las viudas de Amagá Semana July 23, 2011
- ↑ Ministry of Mines and Energy Informe preliminar de la investigación del accidente fatal de 73 trabajadores Government of Colombia, July 2010
- ↑ Tragedia en Amagá, Antioquia. Un joven murió al interior de un socavón de carbón, Semana, April 11, 2023.
- ↑ "Mina de carbón San Fernando seguirá operando en Amagá, Antioquia, bajo otro nombre y con nuevos empresarios". El Colombiano. Retrieved March 30, 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
