Colombia consolidates energy transition with Helios I solar park

This statement from the Ministry of Mines and Energy of Colombia was translated from Spanish by an automated system

Minenergy. Villavicencio, Meta, February 23, 2022. President Iván Duque Márquez, together with the Minister of Mines and Energy, Diego Mesa, toured this Wednesday the first phase of the Helios solar farm, located in the village of La Unión, on the Villavicencio road – Acacias, in the department of Meta. The project has 20,520 solar panels, with 12.11 peak megawatts (MWp) of installed capacity, equivalent to the consumption of some 15,400 homes per year.

"This path towards carbon-neutrality has a very important pillar: the energy transition. Three and a half years ago our country had about 25 megawatts of installed capacity and we are going to end this year with more than 2,500 megawatts, which represents renewable energies an increase of 100% The installed capacity of this first phase of the Helios project represents half of all the non-conventional renewable energy that the country had 3 and a half years ago This is proof that it is with events such as the revolution has been launched by our Government", assured the President of the Republic, Iván Duque Márquez.

Helios I is a photovoltaic solar generation project whose design, implementation and commissioning was carried out by Northland Power, through Empresa de Energia de Boyacá SA The Helios project will be incorporated into the National Interconnected System and will operate in the Colombian electricity market. It also contemplates a second phase, in which up to 7.22 additional MWp will be installed to complete 19.33 MWp.

The Energy Transition and the fight against climate change is with facts. In addition to the generation of clean energy, this first stage of Helios will prevent the emission of 11,053 tons of CO2, equivalent to planting some 6,900 trees, thus contributing to the path towards a carbon neutral Colombia in 2050.

"For the construction of the project, a total of 160 direct and indirect jobs were generated and more than 47 Colombian companies participated in the procurement of equipment and services. Additionally, the project has financing from Bancolombia, which represents approximately 68% of the total of the investment required for its construction. This is an example of how EBSA and Northland are actively participating in the execution of the National Government's public policy to strengthen the energy matrix and promote the use of non-conventional renewable energy sources," he said. Javier Chavarría, Executive Director of Northland Power.

With a long hydrocarbon tradition, the Meta is consolidated at the same time as a protagonist of the Colombian Energy Transition. The department will have ten large-scale solar energy generation and self-generation projects, with the capacity to generate 295.66 MWp of clean energy, equivalent to the consumption of 215,166 Colombian families.

"The Energy Transition promotes the sustainable reactivation of the country and its regions. In addition to clean energy, these 10 generation and self-generation projects in the department will produce about 1,800 jobs and investments for $904,475 million pesos. It is a department with a tradition that today has a large number of solar projects. It is a clear example that the hydrocarbon sector and the energy transition can be developed at the same time and in the same place; it produces more than 50% of Colombia's crude oil and is also leading in the generation of non-conventional renewable energy", assured the Minister of Mines and Energy, Diego Mesa.

To date, the country has 20 solar farms, 2 wind farms, 10 large-scale self-generation projects and more than 2,500 small-scale self-generation photovoltaic solar projects with the capacity to generate 725.38 MWp of clean energy, equivalent to the consumption of 547,402 households.