A major crude oil pipeline in northeastern Colombia has been shut down following an explosion that the state oil company Ecopetrol attributed to a guerrilla attack.

Cenit, an Ecopetrol subsidiary, announced Thursday that the Bicentenario pipeline was struck by an explosive device in a rural area of the Fortul municipality, within the Arauca department. The attack forced the suspension of oil pumping operations, with no fatalities reported. 

Ecopetrol indicated that the National Liberation Army (NLA) was responsible for the attack. The NLA, considered the largest guerrilla organization in Colombia, is designated as a terrorist group by both the United States and the European Union.

This is not the first time the state-owned company has experienced such attacks. It’s part of a well-calculated sabotage strategy by the suspected groups, which they have followed over the years, stepping up their attacks on oil infrastructure. 

Last year, Ecopetrol reported multiple attacks on the Bicentenario and Cano Limon-Covenas pipelines, with as many as five attacks reported at one point. 

In response to the escalating threats, the government deployed the army to safeguard the pipelines and protect Ecopetrol personnel involved in repair efforts.

The attack comes as Colombia struggles to reverse a five-year decline in oil production. The country has set an ambitious goal to increase its daily average output to over 1 million barrels, up from approximately 800,000 barrels in 2024. 

Ecopetrol is contributing to this effort through enhanced oil recovery techniques aimed at improving extraction rates from existing reservoirs. Energy Minister Andres Camacho stated last May that Colombia's average oil recovery rate in 2024 was 27 percent.

Despite these efforts to boost oil production, the current administration of President Gustavo Petro is pursuing an ambitious agenda to expand wind and solar energy, seeking to reduce Colombia’s reliance on oil, gas, and coal revenues. 

Hydrocarbons, however, remain a significant contributor to the national budget and are seen as a primary source of funding for the government’s $40 billion green energy transition plan.

Since assuming office in 2022, President Petro has pledged to shift Colombia’s economy away from fossil fuels towards lower-carbon alternatives.