EPM and Klik Energy start alliance to promote energy efficiency

This EPM press release was translated from Spanish by an automated system

EPM and Klik Energy, the first virtual commercial space for energy demand response in Colombia, announce a strategic alliance to contribute to the supply of energy in the country, through a solution that allows large energy consumers to analyze their consumption data and make decisions to improve their cost efficiency and have a more competitive and environmentally responsible operation.

This alliance offers an online platform where large registered customers (companies with consumption greater than 55,000 kWh) can manage the consumption points in their production chain, analyse them and adopt one of the available energy solutions: “voluntary disconnectable demand” or “demand response”. This collaboration is expected to allow the addition of 13 GWh of energy daily.

This synergy between EPM and Klik allows generators to have greater access to large companies that have not yet joined the protection and regulation mechanisms of the country's energy system. In addition, it expands the country's capacity to aggregate energy and large consumers can be part of those actions that help counteract the national energy situation.

For John Maya Salazar, General Manager of EPM, “This strategic collaboration accelerates the development of pioneering solutions that respond to the changing demands of the industry and the energy sector. Together, we are driving a shared vision of sustainable growth, integrating the best of emerging technology and business leadership in order to generate long-term value for our clients and the EPM Group.”

The alliance between EPM and Klik Energy, a company in the EPM Ventures investment program, combines the best of both worlds: the experience, scale and resources of a business group that focuses on innovation, with the agility and disruptive approach that can be provided by this startup.

“We reaffirm our commitment to contribute to the Colombian energy system with a technological solution that promotes the democratization of access to energy in the country. Klik offers a valuable opportunity for companies to take advantage of voluntary disconnection and their capacity for energy savings. In the midst of the current situation, this represents a possibility of making their consumption reduction profitable and, at the same time, strengthening the reliability of the energy supply in Colombia. This alliance has great significance for us,” emphasized Esteban Quintana, CEO of Klik Energy.

The first phase of this alliance will begin with strategic companies for the EPM Group, which will reduce approximately 1.5 GWh per day. As the collaboration progresses, it is planned to expand the scope by integrating the subsidiaries of the EPM Group.

This is an opportunity for large energy consumers to join the mechanisms promoted through this alliance, not only for the economic incentives they can obtain, but also as a key decision to contribute to the stability of the national electrical system in these times of scarcity.

In Colombia, the "demand response" and "voluntary disconnectable demand" mechanisms are aligned with Law 1715 of 2014, which seeks to encourage the participation of large consumers in the regulation of energy consumption, especially during periods of high demand.

Through this regulation, consumers can access financial compensation in exchange for voluntarily reducing their consumption at critical times. The compensation, specifically for “voluntary disconnectable demand,” comes from the reliability charge that Colombians pay on their energy bills to guarantee the reliability of the electrical system and allow for maximum use of the installed generation capacity.