The state-owned oil company has decided to power one of its fields with a solar park. The tender for the project will be launched in the fourth quarter. A renewable energy plant portfolio of around 140 MW may be built by Ecopetrol. The fossil fuel company has made a 10 MW step in introducing solar to Colombia. Image: Wikimedia Commons, EEIM Colombian state-owned oil company Empresa Colombiana de Petróleos (Ecopetrol) has announced it will build its first solar park, with a capacity of between 10 MW and 15 MW at its Castilla field, near the municipality of Castilla La Nueva, in the Meta department of central Colombia. The company said the tender process to select interested developers will be launched in the fourth quarter, and the plant will be deployed on an 18-hectare area. After the tender, when the viability of the project has been proven, a construction phase of more than 12 months will begin. “This initiative is part of the company’s plan to strengthen the development of renewable energy projects and contribute to the diversification of Ecopetrol’s energy portfolio,” said the company in a statement. Ecopetrol specified a renewable energy power plant portfolio with a combined capacity of around 140 MW is being considered for its facilities in the Colombian departments of Norte de Santander, Huila, Meta and Antioquia. “The commitment to renewable energies would make the Ecopetrol Group one of the main solar energy generators in the country,” said Felipe Bayón, president of Ecopetrol. Only a few solar plants are under construction in Colombia, with just one 10 MW PV facility currently operational. More solar may see the light of the day over the next two or three years, as the Colombian government recently launched its first renewable energy auction, which may assign up to 1.5 GW. The latest two global oil companies to announce solar plans were U.S.-based Vitol and Spain’s Repsol. Before that many others had made the move, including Russia’s Lukoil; big brands Shell, Total, Eni and BP – which re-entered the solar business in late 2017; Norway’s Statoil, now known as Equinor; Hungary’s Mol; Oman’s PDO; Brazil’s Petrobras; Argentina’s YPF; and Jamaica’s PJC. Emiliano joined pv magazine in March 2017. He has been reporting on solar and renewable energy since 2009. More articles from Emiliano Bellini
State-controlled Colombian oil company Ecopetrol is to build a 10-15 MW solar facility near the company's onshore Castilla oil field in central Colombia to help power its operations there. The tender will be held in the fourth quarter of this year. Ecopetrol said. Ecopetrol wants to build a 140 MW renewable energy portfolio, which would make it one of the biggest solar power generators in the country, according to Ecopetrol President Felipe Bayón. Colombia currently has just one operational solar facility, of 10 MW, with very few more under construction. Colombia recently launched its first renewable energy auction.