Ecopetrol, the largest integrated energy company in Colombia, has been moving forward during the past five years on the path towards energy transition as part of its commitment to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 (scopes 1 and 2) and to halve total emissions by 2050 (scope 3).

Decarbonization takes center stage, with a corporate target to incorporate 900 MW of non-conventional renewable energies (NCRE) into its electricity supply matrix by 2025, of which 750 MW will be allocated to operations and 150 MW under development. This energy will primarily be used for self-consumption in operations and to leverage the production of green hydrogen.

The Ecopetrol Group currently has four solar parks in operation. The first, Castilla, is located in the department of Meta and began its activities in October 2019 with an installed capacity of 21 MWp. At the end of December, it has provided over USD 2 million in savings and cut CO2e emissions by almost 14,500 tons during the same period.

Additionally, in October 2021, the San Fernando solar eco-park, located in the same region, launched its commercial operations with an installed capacity of 61 MWp, providing savings of more than USD 2.5 million by year-end 2022 and reducing about 17,400 tons of CO2e emissions in the same period.

On January 27 of this year, Ecopetrol and AES Colombia launched Brisas, the fourth self-generating solar energy eco-park, located in the municipality of Aipe in the department of Huila, which has an installed capacity of 26 megawatts (MWp), and over 49,000 state-of-the-art panels with bifacial technology spanning a 21-hectare area. It is expected to reduce CO2 emissions by more than 216 thousand tons over the 15-year term of the contract.

These solar eco-parks, along with the recent acquisition of the 4.3 MW Cantayus small hydropower plant that will deliver energy to Cenit’s Cisneros station, a subsidiary of the Ecopetrol Group. Long-term contracts for the purchase of energy from non-conventional renewable energy sources, have allowed the Ecopetrol Group to end 2022 with a total installed capacity of 208 MWp (which is equal to approximately 15% of self-generation capacity).

“The Ecopetrol Group has a dynamic project portfolio that is constantly nourished by assessing the potential of new renewable energy projects with the different companies and partners of the Ecopetrol Group”

Additionally, progress continues on the contract for the construction of the Providencia solar eco-park with 1.8 MWp DC plus 2.5 MW of battery storage (BESS) and a control system (PMS) that will be implemented to seamlessly integrate the renewable source with the existing power generation on the island (providing power to the Raizal community). Construction of the project began in 2022 and its completion is expected by June 2023. This project is projected to reduce CO2e emissions by 2,300 tons per year, and employ 3,300 solar panels.

To reach the aforementioned goal of 900 MWp by 2025, the Ecopetrol Group has a dynamic project portfolio that is constantly nourished by assessing the potential of new renewable energy projects with the different companies and partners of the Ecopetrol Group.

This portfolio includes power generation initiatives from sustainable forest and residual biomass, as well as medium and high enthalpy geothermal projects. Additionally, the company is advancing in a strategy to measure wind potential in Araguaney (Casanare), San Francisco (Huila) and Ballena (Guajira).

Wind self-generation initiatives on the Caribbean coast planned jointly with third parties are also being evaluated, in addition to Small-scale Hydro Power Plants within a strategy geared to incorporating more assets centered on this technology.

Lastly, the Ecopetrol Group is working to characterize significant onshore and offshore wind projects, along with the pre-feasibility of high enthalpy projects (temperature above 150 degrees Celsius) in two important regions in the country.

The goal is to establish a solid base in order to become the leading energy group in Latin America within the next 20 years, through diversified investments, low-emission solutions, highly decarbonized operations and employing cutting-edge technologies to continue being the driving force for growth, reactivation and the well-being of all Colombians.