Colombia pushes back offshore wind auction

Colombia has postponed an auction for offshore wind energy as it fine-tunes bidding and contract terms for prospective investors. 

In a statement, the energy ministry said it is working with maritime authority Dimar, hydrocarbons agency ANH and established wind power stakeholders to determine "specifications and conditions" for the auction. 

"It has been considered opportune to [consult] with the specialized wind industry to learn about their experiences and knowledge," the ministry said. 

Officials previously said terms of reference for the auction would be published in August while the bidding process had been slated for completion this year.

No details were given about the revised timetable. 

The auction will offer power purchase agreements for projects with at least 200MW of capacity in Caribbean waters off the departments of Atlántico and Bolívar. 

The energy ministry said it had worked with the Danish government's energy agency and the World Bank to create contract models for the projects.

Colombia has emerged as one of Latin America's most promising offshore wind markets following the publication of a long-term sector blueprint in May last year.

The 217-page roadmap, authored by London-based firm Renewables Consulting Group in partnership with the World Bank and the UK government, says Colombia has the potential for 50GW of offshore wind capacity in the western Atlantic basin.

The document forecasts up to 1GW of installed marine wind capacity by 2030, 3GW by 2040 and 9GW by 2050.