October 07, 2025 [Reuters]- Colombian state-run oil company Ecopetrol is set to launch the bidding process later this month for a regasification project at its Covenas maritime terminal in the north of the country, CEO Ricardo Roa said on Monday.

Ecopetrol will begin accepting binding bids for the project on October 14, with a winner expected to be announced before the end of the year, Roa added in a press conference.

Colombia is striving to boost domestic gas production and has increased imports to meet growing demand.

“We should be awarding the contract in no more than a month, and the goal is to have it completed by the first quarter of 2027, which is the maximum deadline,” Roa said, adding that the investment resources were “practically approved.”

He said 20 companies have expressed interest in the project, which is expected to reach imports of up to 400 million cubic feet per day by 2030.

The project includes the anchoring of a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) to receive shipments of imported liquefied natural gas.