Atlántico seeks to be the center of Colombia’s energy transition due to its great photovoltaic and wind energy potential

The great potential that the Atlantic has for the development of solar and wind projects on marine and terrestrial lands can position the department as the “center of the country’s energy transition,” according to Governor Eduardo Verano.

Proof of this is that the department is the epicenter of 10 solar projects, which total approximately 1,000 megawatts of installed capacity and would be ready between 2024 and 2025.
Of this total, six are in the development process, one is under construction, two are in the testing period for their entry into commercial operation and one more is ready to begin construction.

These projects are located in five municipalities (Barranquilla, Galapa, Malambo, Baranoa and Sabanalarga), highlighting Enel Green Power’s Guayepo I and II solar park, which will have an installed capacity of 486.7 megawatts (820,600 solar panels).
“If the energy transition is going to occur in our department, we have to create the legal, social and economic conditions and facilitate licenses and other procedures,” said Governor Eduardo Verano during his speech at the III ACP Forum: Sustainability Facts.

But it is not just about large solar energy projects, as the Government is leading a housing improvement program called ‘My Great House’, which will benefit 10,000 families over the next four years. Through this program we seek to promote the use of solar energy in homes.

In offshore wind energy, the construction of a park in the middle of the sea, which would cost about 300 million dollars (construction of turbines and substations, wiring and network connection, maintenance and logistics center, and environmental studies and permits).
In addition to wind and solar energy, the department of Atlántico also has potential for the production of green hydrogen, although the governor reveals that there are still no defined investors who can bet on this type of initiatives.

“We must understand that it is not enough to have the potential, but the most important thing is to build the conditions so that all this potential becomes a reality,” he stated.

Initial estimates indicate an investment of $55 million for the construction of port infrastructure for the export of green hydrogen, the implementation of production and storage technologies and permits, studies and management.