Colombia's Ecopetrol to build 50MW solar park

Colombia's Ecopetrol has announced plans to build a 50MW photovoltaic (PV) park as it furthers its foray into non-conventional renewable energy. 

The 46ha facility will be built at Castilla La Nueva, in the central-eastern department of Meta, and will be owned by Ecopetrol's transport subsidiary Cenit, the state-run oil firm said in a statement on Wednesday.

Construction will begin midyear ahead of a scheduled December startup. 

"This is a new example of our commitment to the energy transition and the direction of the company ... towards [renewables]," Ecopetrol CEO Felipe Bayón said. 

The new solar park will power oil and gas operations at the Llanos basin's Castilla, Chichimene and Apiay fields, in addition to the San Fernando and Apiay crude pumping stations. 

There are 59 Colombian solar parks in BNamericas' project profile database

The company did not provide investment details, nor did it mention a competitive process for engineering, procurement and construction work. 

Ecopetrol inaugurated its first PV facility – the 21MW Castilla solar park built by AES Colombia – last October. Also located at Castilla La Nueva, the plant supplies energy to the Castilla field, Colombia's second largest oil production area. 

In its 2020 investment plan unveiled last November, Ecopetrol said it would outlay US$150mn in non-conventional renewable energy projects this year as it seeks to reduce its carbon footprint. Bayón previously said the company has a renewables project pipeline totaling 300MW, from wind and solar power.  

The company is also understood to be evaluating a proposed solar project at its Rubiales field in addition to possible geothermal, hydrogen and small hydropower investments.