<p>This paper presents a multi-criteria decision-making approach integrating geographic information systems and the analytic hierarchy process to support sustainable exploratory well placement in underexplored or frontier areas. The approach is demonstrated through a case study in Colombia’s Eastern Cordillera Basin, identifying three stratigraphic well sites for natural gas and hydrogen exploration. Viable well sites are spatially identified and filtered by overlaying geological, environmental, and legal restriction layers, ensuring that only locations compliant with regulatory constraints are considered. These compliant alternatives are then evaluated using a hierarchical model in which geological, operational, environmental, and social criteria are weighted. A standardized scoring system enables consistent comparison among alternatives, and a mathematical optimization model selects the combination of sites that maximizes the weighted sustainability score. The case study results underscore the value of incorporating sustainability criteria in well placement, revealing that geological and social factors are particularly decisive. The findings confirm that combining spatial analysis with a structured, sustainability-oriented decision framework enables more robust and context-sensitive site selection, particularly in frontier basins targeted for renewable energy exploration.</p>