Petrobras, through Petrobras International Braspetro – Colombian branch (PIB-COL) and Ecopetrol have announced a gas discovery in Colombia, with the Sirius-2 well confirming volumes exceeding six trillion cubic feet (tcf).

This is claimed to be the largest gas discovery in Colombia’s history.

The well is situated in the GUA-OFF-0 offshore block, 77km from Santa Marta, the capital of the Magdalena department in northern Colombia, at a water depth of 830m.

This discovery could increase the country’s present gas reserves by 200%.

The drilling of the Sirius-2 well began on 19 June 2024.

The consortium, led by PIB-COL with a 44.44% stake and Ecopetrol holding 55.56%, is moving forward with the production development project for the discovery.

They will commence the acquisition of meta-oceanic data.

This data, along with environmental details about the seabed, bathymetry, and geotechnical and geophysical information, is crucial for installing the pipeline that will transport natural gas from the field to the onshore gas treatment unit, as well as for setting up production systems on the seabed.

The investment for the exploratory phase is projected at $1.2bn (5.28trn pesos), with an additional $2.9bn for the production development phase.

These investments for PIB-COL’s share are accounted for in Petrobras's business plan for 2025–29.

The consortium aims to initiate natural gas production within three years post the acquisition of environmental licences and confirmation of commercial viability, expected by 2027.

The planned production involves an innovative "subsea to shore" design with four producer wells expected to yield around 13 million cubic metres per day over a ten-year period.

Following the discovery of significant natural gas reserves, the required socio-environmental and licensing processes will begin to transport the gas to consumption centres.