Colbun's general manager resigns to take other duties within group

Thomas Keller has resigned from his position as the general manager of Chilean utility Colbun SA after almost eight years of service, the company said on Monday.

Keller will formally step down on May 16, when his replacement Jose Ignacio Escobar is set to assume his duties at the helm of Colbun.

Colbun said that Keller’s resignation was agreed with the board of directors. The executive will now serve as advisor to his successor, and take a position as director of Colbun’s Peruvian subsidiary Fenix and the affiliate company Electrogas.

Keller guided Colbun through the challenges of the energy transition. His legacy includes, among others, the 778-MW Horizonte wind project in Chile, which is currently under construction, 239 MW of solar farms in the final phase of commissioning, 1,280 MW of solar projects with environmental permits and 870 MW of projects in early development. He also directed the utility's focus on growing the portfolio of large customers on the liberalised market, Colbun highlighted.

Jose Ignacio Escobar, an industrial civil engineer, worked for Spanish renewables company Acciona Energia (BME:ANE) for eight years. Escobar was appointed as Acciona’s general manager for Chile in 2014, and was later the company's general manager for Chile, Brazil, Colombia and Peru. In 2017, Escobar was made president of Chilean renewable energy and storage association ACERA, of which Colbun is a member, the utility added.

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