Why wind power is stalling in Colombia

Colombia is on the cusp of a wind energy boom as developers seek to advance plans for 74 projects totaling 13,583MW of capacity. 

But progress is being stymied by community opposition and bureaucratic hurdles in La Guajira, the department in northern Colombia where conditions for wind power generation are considered among the best in the world, according to a new BNamericas Intelligence Series report. 

These obstacles are, in particular, impacting associated power transmission infrastructure.

An example is Grupo Energía Bogota's (GEB) Colectora project, slated to transport almost 3GW of wind and solar capacity in La Guajira to the national grid. 

GEB has had to hold individual consultations with more than 200 communities just to apply for an environmental permit.

One of many wind developments awaiting the completion of the Colectora line is AES Colombia’s Jemeiwaa Ka'I complex, originally due online in 2022. 

Mauricio Posada, AES Colombia's development manager, told BNamericas that the latest forecast for the start of operations at Jemeiwaa Ka'I was 2026 or 2027 in a best-case scenario. 

In response to the delays, the environment ministry has attempted to streamline permitting processes, shifting responsibility for larger projects to national licensing authority ANLA instead of departmental bodies. 

However, doubts linger over the future of many wind initiatives as calls for regulatory reform grow louder, the report says. 

Despite these concerns – or perhaps because of them – the government is preparing an auction of concession areas for offshore wind projects, with lease agreements expected to be signed next year.

Spanish company BlueFloat is leading offshore efforts with planned investments up to US$3 billion over the next decade, according to the report.