MAPS: Ecopetrol’s offshore potential, midstream infrastructure, and Hocol’s national footprint

Ecopetrol maps: offshore potential, midstream infrastructure and Hocol’s national footprint

May 15, 2025

MAPS: Ecopetrol's offshore potential and midstream infrastructure are vital to the renewal of Colombia's oil and gas sector, while subsidiary Hocol conducts E&P activities in Valle Superior del Magdalena, Los Llanos and Colombia Norte.

Ecopetrol: great offshore potential

Offshore, Ecopetrol is actively developing the country’s Caribbean deepwater potential. The company has made major discoveries in the last decade including Gorgon-2, Uchuva-1 and Glaucus-1, in partnership with oil majors Shell and Petrobras. In Q4 2024, the Sirius-2 discovery confirmed the existence of a significant natural gas deposit that could double or even triple Colombia’s gas reserves. These finds could help the nation achieve gas self-sufficiency in the near future while supporting its energy transition goals, and eventually position Colombia as a potential gas exporter. The offshore zone, still largely untapped, represents the next frontier in Colombia’s hydrocarbons strategy.

Read our latest interview with Elsa Jeanneth Jaimes Romero, vice-president of Ecopetrol Offshore, here.

Ecopetrol: critical midstream infrastructure

Ecopetrol’s midstream infrastructure spans the breadth of Colombia, connecting oil-producing regions to both domestic refineries and key export terminals. The network is operated mainly through its subsidiary Cenit and includes extensive oil and multiproduct pipelines. The key arteries include the Ocensa pipeline, which runs from the Llanos Basin to Coveñas on the Caribbean coast, and the ODL and ODC pipelines in the eastern plains. Major terminals like Coveñas, Tumaco and Buenaventura support crude export and product import operations. Infrastructure reaches deep into producing regions such as Arauca, Meta and Putumayo, linking production to refineries and ports with strategic efficiency.

Read our latest interview with Ricardo Roa Barragán, president and CEO of Ecopetrol Group, here.

Hocol: a national footprint

Hocol, a subsidiary of Ecopetrol, has established a diverse upstream portfolio across Colombia. Its blocks span exploration and production assets, both independently and through partnerships. In the north, it holds acreage in the Lower Magdalena Valley and Sinu–San Jacinto basins, such as SSJN-1, RC-7 and VIM 8. In the central Magdalena and Llanos basins, Hocol operates a mix of producing fields like COR 9 and Guarrojo, and exploration licences such as LLA 123 and LLA 124. In southern Colombia, it maintains assets in the Upper Magdalena and Putumayo basins, with blocks such as VSM 9 and Río Páez. Hocol’s national reach enables strategic balance across mature, frontier and partner-operated plays.