Mine in Becerril & El Paso, Cesar-Ranchería Basin, Cesar, Colombia
La Francia is a coal mine in the Cesar-Ranchería Basin , located in the municipalities Becerril and El Paso , Cesar , Colombia owned by the Goldman Sachs Group. It mines coal from the Paleocene Los Cuervos Formation , time-equivalent with the Cerrejón Formation , which is mined in the northeastern part of the basin in Latin America's largest coal mine, Cerrejón . In 2016, La Francia produced 11.6 Megatons of coal.[ 1]
History
The mine was owned by Coalcorp Mining until 2010.[ 2] Goldman Sachs for US$200 million in 2010.[ 2]
It closed in January 2013 after the contractor hired by Colombian National Resources opted out,[ 3] [ 4]
During the strikes of 2013, miners occupied the mine and refused offers provided by the companies involved.[ 5]
In 2015, Murray Energy (now known as American Consolidated Natural Resources ) purchased the mine from Goldman Sachs.[ 6]
As of August 2020, the mine has suspended operations indefinitely.[ 7]
References
^ (in Spanish) Producción de carbón en Colombia - UPME ^ a b UPDATE 1-Coalcorp to sell La Francia mine to Goldman unit , Reuters, January 7, 2010^ Matthew Bristow, Colombia's Top Coal Mine Reaches Accord That May End Strike , Bloomberg Business , March 4, 2013
^ Peter Murphy, Exclusive: Goldman Sachs miner halts coal exports from Colombia , Reuters, January 9, 2014
^ (in Spanish) La Francia, mina de carbón lleva meses paralizada ^ "Goldman Sachs Sells Colombian Coal Mines to Murray Energy" . Wall Street Journal . August 13, 2015.^ "Colombian coal firm CNR halts production" . Argus Media . 2020-08-07.
