Renewable

February 22 (Renewables Now) - Colombia is expected to reach over 1,000 MW of installed non-conventional renewable energy capacity at the end of 2021, president Ivan Duque said on Friday.

Speaking at a gathering in the department of La Guajira, Duque said that his administration had set a target for renewables to account for 14% of Colombia’s energy mix by the end of the term. This would represent a significant upgrade from the 0.2% share of the mix that the Duque administration saw when it took over in August 2018, the president added.

Duque’s four-year term ends in 2022 and, under Colombia’s constitution, he cannot be re-elected.

At present, Colombia has 80.5 MW of installed solar power, including plants for on-site consumption, and a 18.42 MW of operating wind power from one wind farm, according to figures from XM Compania de Expertos en Mercados, operator of the Colombian national interconnected system (SIN).

XM puts Colombia’s total installed capacity at 17,538.41 MW, of which 11,944.79 MW are generated by large hydroelectric plants.

Colombia will aim to increase the renewables capacity by holding an auction for energy storage and another round to place more than 4,800 MW in service of large industrial consumers, Duque said.

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