La Francia
| Industry | Coal mining |
|---|---|
| Predecessor | Coalcorp Mining (until 2010) |
| Fate | Operations suspended indefinitely (as of August 2020) |
| Headquarters | Colombia |
Area served | Cesar-Ranchería Basin, Cesar region, Colombia |
| Products | Coal |
| Owner | American Consolidated Natural Resources (formerly Murray Energy) |
La Francia is a coal extraction site located within the Cesar-Ranchería Basin, covering areas in the municipalities of Becerril and El Paso in the Cesar region of Colombia. The mine produces coal from the Paleocene-aged Los Cuervos Formation, which is geologically equivalent to the Cerrejón Formation exploited at Latin America's largest coal mine, Cerrejón. In 2016, La Francia's coal output reached 11.6 million metric tons.
History
Initially under the ownership of Coalcorp Mining until 2010, the mine was subsequently purchased by Goldman Sachs for a sum of US$200 million.
Mining activities were halted in January 2013 after the contractor engaged by Colombian National Resources withdrew their services; however, operations recommenced at a diminished capacity in January 2014. Throughout the 2013 labor strikes, miners occupied the premises and declined the company's proposals.
In 2015, ownership transferred to Murray Energy (currently known as American Consolidated Natural Resources) following their acquisition of La Francia from Goldman Sachs. As of August 2020, mining activities remain suspended indefinitely.