Brazilian-owned energy company MPX Energia SA is planning to export much of the coal it produces in Colombia to China, where raw material demand has shown tremendous growth in the last couple years. In general, about 50 percent of the coal MPX Energia sells will be to Asian countries, including India and South Korea, as well as China.
The northern Colombia mine will begin coal output in 2012, and is slated to produce as much as 35 million metric tons by 2020. The expansion of the Panama Canal, expected to be completed in about two to three years by 2014, will also aid in the company's coal exports to Asian countries.