The machinery behind the mobility and progress of the country

In the future, to continue supporting mobility in Colombia, it will be essential to keep promoting and enhancing the activity of the fuel distribution chain, its commitment, and its investments for the benefit of consumers and the economy in general.

María Adelaida Pradilla, Manager of Downstream, Colombian Association of Oil and Gas

Behind every gallon of gasoline that we fill up to transport food, medicine, raw materials, commerce, and people, is the effort of various companies that are part of the fuel distribution chain, the activities of refining, importing, producing biofuels, transporting, and wholesale and retail distribution, in which around 270,000 people work directly and indirectly.

Throughout the national territory, the sector supplies the liquid fuels that Colombians require for mobility and transportation, based on the development of various economic activities. This supply is carried out through two refineries (Barrancabermeja and Cartagena), import ports in Cartagena, Barranquilla, Santa Marta, Buenaventura, and Tumaco, 16 biofuel production plants, over 4,000 km of pipeline network, 60 wholesale supply plants with storage capacity for around 10 days of consumption, and various land and river routes through which fuel is distributed to more than 6,000 service stations.

During 2022, the total demand for gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel was 345,000 barrels per day, and the expectation is that it will continue to increase by 2.5 percent annually over the next decade, even anticipating the acceleration in the entry of electric mobility and other zero and low-emission energies, and the greater efficiency of vehicles. This growth in consumption will reflect the economic dynamism of the country, and in this context, it will be key to continue promoting investment and the development of new infrastructure, especially strategic storage, to ensure reliable and quality supply.

In this continuous work of the distribution chain that brings fuel to consumers, the central role of the activity responsible for engaging, articulating, and connecting the others stands out: wholesale distribution. This agent, in particular, whose brand is displayed at service stations, is the key piece that manages the supply from production and import sources to the main consumption centers, stores it in supply plants, mixes it with biofuels, and coordinates the final dispatch to stations and industrial consumers. It is the link that provides, under compliance with high operational standards and quality assurance, effective logistical solutions throughout the national territory, covering even the most remote and difficult-to-access regions. This function becomes even more relevant and necessary in critical situations, such as those experienced this year due to the collapse of the Pan-American Highway, the landslide on the road to the Llanos, as well as the recurring blockades by communities in various regions of the country.

In the continuous work of bringing fuel to consumers, the central role of the activity responsible for engaging, articulating, and connecting the others stands out: wholesale distribution.

Additionally, the wholesale distributor helps leverage the investments of retail distributors, contributing to the continuous improvement of service quality at stations in compliance with technical regulations. And in light of the transition, it bets on reducing the carbon footprint of its operations and diversifying the energy supply for sustainable mobility, through voluntary blends with biofuels, improving fuel quality, research and technological development in hydrogen and advanced biofuels, and investments in vehicular gas and electric mobility.

Today, the fuel distribution chain, specially engaged in wholesale distribution, operates and innovates continuously to meet the energy needs of transportation. In the future, to continue supporting the country's mobility, it will be essential to promote and enhance the activity of these agents, their commitment, and their investments for the benefit of consumers and the economy in general.