In the last auction, of the 33 new or under construction projects, 30 correspond to solar energy and the remaining three relate to thermal energy.
Photo: Enel
On the morning of Friday, February 16, the Minister of Mines and Energy, Andrés Camacho, announced the conclusion of the reliability fee auction for the National Interconnected System, which, according to the Ministry, seeks to guarantee demand in the medium and long term. -The energy term is valid for the years 2027 and 2028. (You can read: In Barranquilla, those with the least money live at temperatures 5 degrees Celsius higher)
For Camacho, the result is “successful and we have very good news for the country,” while the Commission for Regulatory, Energy and Gas (Creg) emphasized that the awarded plants “represent a milestone in the progress of Colombia’s energy transition.” But to understand the reason for both statements, we must review the auction results.
In general, the ministry explained that “the allocated energy is solar energy (99%), equivalent to 4,441 gigawatts of new solar power plants, and the remaining 1% is allocated to biomass thermal plants, and 18 megawatts (MW) correspond to solar energy.” Restart of a gas plant, a new 25 MW biomass plant, and a 5 MW expansion of a smaller biogas plant. (You may be interested in: The World Meteorological Organization confirms that January was the warmest month ever recorded)
By disaggregating the data, the Mining and Energy Portfolio indicated that 80 stations were allocated for the auction, of which 27 are new stations, six are under construction, and the remaining 47 are existing. Regarding the 33 new or under construction, three of them are thermal and the other 30 are solar-powered. Compared to the existing 47, 24 are hydraulic and 23 are thermal.
With this new allocation, Creg noted, “it will move from the current net effective capacity of 19,904 MW to 26,184 MW in 2027, representing significant growth in the country’s installed capacity.” Added to this is the fact that the share of non-conventional energy sources will rise from 3% to 26% by 2027, Camacho and Greg added.
As can be seen in the following image, the composition of the matrix will go from being composed of 66% hydraulic energy, 31% thermal energy, and 3% solar energy and wind energy, to 50% hydraulic energy, 24% thermal energy, and 26% solar energy. and wind by 2027. (You can also read: If you are in San Andres and Providencia and see this foul water, be careful)
For Creg, “this deployment is in line with the objectives of the 2022-2026 Development Plan, which highlights the importance of integrating renewable energy sources.” At the same time, Minister Camacho also announced that they will begin preparing an exclusive auction for renewable energies with a regional focus.
(tags for translation)Solar energy
