Colombia has 15,893 MW of ongoing renewable energy projects in the development pipeline, according to the latest statistics released by the mining and energy planning unit UPME with May 31 as the cut-off date.
The proposed clean capacity, which also includes all types of hydropower, is divided between 310 projects currently in UPME's registry.
With proposals for thermal power included, UPME monitors a pipeline of 18,591 MW of potential electricity generation projects.
In 2021, 6,101 MW worth of proposals for new wind, solar, hydro and biomass-fired plants were registered with UPME as ongoing by the end of May.
Solar power projects outnumber others by capacity and the number of valid proposals, accounting for 67.6% of Colombia’s energy generation pipeline in the period 2019 through May 2021.
Of the total of 86 projects registered in 2021, 63 are for solar power systems, which, if realised, would represent close to 4 GW.
On the other end are two registered projects for thermal power plants, compared to three in the whole of 2020. This is far below 29 and 26 thermal power projects registered in 2018 and 2019, respectively, UPME’s data show.
Selected figures from UPME’s May report are summarised in the table below:
| Technology: |
Number of registered projects: |
Capacity of registered projects: |
| 2019-2020 |
By May 31, 2021 |
2019-2020 |
By May 31, 2021 |
| Solar |
150 |
63 |
5,393 MW |
3,925 MW |
| Wind |
14 |
11 |
2,133 MW |
2,013 MW |
| Hydro |
61 |
9 |
2,266 MW |
138 MW |
| Biomass |
1 |
1 |
1 MW |
25 MW |
| Thermal |
3 |
2 |
2,510 MW |
188 MW |
It is worth noting that the projects are registered by their degree of maturity using UPME’s three-phase taxonomy.
In phase 1, there is only a preliminary feasibility assessment of the project. In the phase 2 step, UPME approves projects that have full assessment of the technical, economic, environmental and social feasibility. Finally, mature projects are registered as being in the phase 3, which means that there is a definitive design, execution and operation plans, detailed engineering, timetable and budget.
As of May 31, only four solar projects totalling 50 MW and one 10-MW hydropower project out of the entire pipeline moved to the phase 3 level, according to UPME’s update.
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