Colombia says pipeline repair with Venezuela to start by year-end, operations mid-2027

The timeline is notable less for the repair itself than for what it reveals about the binding constraint: a U.S. OFAC license, not engineering, sits between announcement and operation. That makes this a story about sanctions policy as much as infrastructure, with the pipeline's fate tied to a U.S. regulatory decision outside either government's control. For regional crude flows, the mid-2027 start date is far enough out that it functions as a signal of intent rather than a supply change. Whether the OFAC license materializes on this schedule is the open question.