Mines and Energy minister Amylkar Acosta told Dow Jones Newswires that Colombia’s total 2013 coal production would be about 85Mt, a drop from the 89Mt it produced last year.
The Andean nation’s most recent outlook projected a total 94Mt for whole-year 2013, though that estimation was closer to 110Mt at the beginning of this year.
As many expected, Acosta cited labour strikes by two of the largest producers in the country, along with a string of rebel attacks – taking place despite ongoing peace talks – for the shortage in its goal with some six weeks left in the year.
On the strike front, Cerrejon workers held a 25-day walk-off in February and March that idled production completely.
Drummond was unable to export coal for 23 days in February after its port licence was suspended from an environmental incident involving the dumping of hundreds of tonnes of coal into the Caribbean.
Crews said they were trying to prevent the sinking of the barge that the coal was loaded on.
As Dow Jones reported, Colombia’s down year will have a particularly significant impact on the private sector and the royalty-dependent Colombian government.
Colombian coal shipments account for 12% of the country's total exports, according to national data. In addition to being South America’s largest coal producer, the country is also the fourth-largest coal exporter in the world.
Colombia’s biggest coal players are Cerrejon and US-based producer Drummond.
