Colombia's energy and public services sectors face severe institutional weaknesses due to prolonged leadership vacancies at key regulatory bodies, according to Corficolombiana.
Read moreEcopetrol announced successful completion of pilot tests producing green hydrogen to power Bogotá's Integrated Public Transport System (SITP), marking a significant milestone in Colombia's clean energy transition.
Read moreAir-e successfully concluded the ENNOVA 2025 Open Innovation Challenge, an initiative promoting sustainable energy and community solutions across Atlántico and Magdalena departments.
Read moreColombia's Energy and Gas Regulatory Commission (CREG) confirmed progress on the long-discussed electrical interconnection with Panama during the first half of 2026, according to CREG Director Antonio Jiménez.
Read moreDespite warnings about Colombia's "silent rationing" and energy supply constraints, Celsia is advancing an ambitious renewable energy expansion strategy focused on hydroelectric projects and solar farms as the country grapples with natural gas shortages and growing electricity demand.
Read moreAdministrative procedures and regulatory approvals consume approximately 50% of total development time for energy projects in Colombia, representing a critical bottleneck delaying urgently needed generation capacity additions.
Read moreColombia officially launched its National Hydrogen Policy, establishing a comprehensive framework to position the country as a regional leader in green and blue hydrogen production while creating new clean industries and accelerating energy transition.
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After three decades of neglect, Colombia is experiencing an ambitious railway revival under President Gustavo Petro's administration.
Read moreCelsia CEO Ricardo Sierra warned that Colombia is already experiencing a "silent rationing" of electricity, characterized by connection denials and supply restrictions that don't yet constitute formal nationwide rationing but signal serious underlying problems.
Read moreDecember 6, 2025: Air-e and Afinia, the two electricity distribution companies serving Colombia's Caribbean coast, announced a collaborative effort to address the region's persistent energy challenges through a common agenda focused on structural solutions.
Read moreColombia's Constitutional Court validated Decree 1275 of 2024, which recognizes indigenous peoples as environmental authorities within their territories, but established specific conditions for its application. The decree, signed by President Gustavo Petro and issued by the Ministry of Environment, responds to a demand from ancestral communities spanning more than three decades.
Read moreThe national government increased the import tariff on electric buses from 0% to 10% through Decree 2159 of 2024, published in the Official Gazette and effective from publication date.
Read moreOn December 3, 2025, EPM confirmed a strategic agreement with Erco Energía S.A.S. and a European investor to develop a new solar project of approximately 400 MWp, representing an investment of up to US$400 million. The ambitious initiative seeks to strengthen Colombia's energy matrix amid the growing gap between supply and demand.
Read moreColombia has already entered a phase of energy rationing, according to Natalia Gutiérrez, president of the Colombian Association of Electric Energy Generators (Acolgen), during her intervention at the 'Country Perspectives 2026' forum organized by Revista CAMBIO.
Read moreEcopetrol inaugurated the La Iguana Solar Farm in Yondó, Antioquia, marking a significant milestone in its renewable energy strategy. The facility features 26 MWp of installed capacity with 42,840 solar panels distributed across 26 hectares, generating an estimated 42.2 GWh annually.
Read moreOn December 5, 2025, the Ministry of Mines and Energy announced the creation of Gecelca Solar, marking a historic shift from coal-fired thermal generation to clean energy production.
Read moreColombia's renewable energy sector achieved significant growth in 2025, with 27 new projects adding 925 megawatts of capacity and bringing total renewable generation to 2,685 megawatts in medium and large-scale operations.
Read morePromigas announced the signing of an agreement to acquire 100% of the shares of Zelestra Corporación's companies owning a regional renewable energy generation platform with presence in Colombia, Chile, and Perú.
Read morePresident Gustavo Petro surprised observers on December 5, 2025, by publicly congratulating Grupo Sarmiento, the conglomerate founded by Luis Carlos Sarmiento Angulo—Colombia's wealthiest individual—following the announcement of a major renewable energy investment. The gesture is notable given Petro's history of criticizing large business groups.
Read moreWood Mackenzie's Latin America Energy Storage Outlook 2025 projects the region's energy storage market will reach 23 gigawatts (GW) by 2034, representing a compound annual growth rate of 8%. Chile leads regional development, followed by Mexico and the Dominican Republic.
Read moreMinEnergia Edwin Palma leads Colombia's historic advancement in clean energy through the Plan 6GW Plus strategy, transforming the country's energy matrix from less than 2% to 13.87% clean energy sources between 2022 and 2025.
Read moreThe National Environmental Licensing Authority (ANLA) granted environmental licenses on December 1, 2025, to two strategic clean energy projects in Córdoba department: the Aries Solar Park and the Sahagún 2 Transmission Line at 500 kV.
Read moreSandra Fonseca will step down as executive director of the Colombian Association of Large Industrial and Commercial Energy Consumers (Asoenergía) in December 2025 after serving since March 2020.
Read moreThe Valledupar Municipal Government formalized agreement 116231-309-2025 with the Non-Conventional Energy and Efficient Energy Management Fund (FENOGE) on November 30-December 1, 2025, to replace animal-drawn vehicles (carro'e mulas) and polluting units with electric motocarros. This initiative is part of the national program "Efficient Vehicles: Clean and Sustainable Mobility."
Read moreThe national government issued for public comment a draft decree establishing guidelines for incorporating Energy Storage Systems (ESS) into the National Interconnected System (SIN) and Non-Interconnected Zones (ZNI), enabling their remuneration, planning, and coordinated operation in the country.
Read moreThe Energy and Gas Regulatory Commission (CREG) published Resolution CREG 101 094 of 2025, establishing transitional rules to make network use more efficient, promote electrical sector reliability through project entry, ensure demand supply, and initiate a new process for assigning connection points to generation plants.
Read moreThe Petro government's tax reform proposal has redefined VAT treatment for hybrid vehicles following congressional debate.
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Demand was up 2.4% and generation 3.1% over 2024 while reservoirs continued to fill during the month of October. The generation statistic caught our attention because the SPEC regas facility was offline for a week for scheduled maintenance.
Read moreEcopetrol announced on November 28, 2025, the successful conclusion of negotiations with Grenergy Renovables for the potential acquisition of seven companies from its portfolio. The companies are located across four Colombian departments: Córdoba (3), Cesar (2), Magdalena (1), and Sucre (1).
Read moreThe Colombian and South Korean governments inaugurated Sol de Perijá, the country's first peace energy community equipped with battery storage, in the Conejo district of Fonseca, La Guajira, on November 26, 2025. The project represents a historic milestone in Colombia's energy transition and peacebuilding efforts.
Read moreThe Superintendency of Public Services (Superservicios) is conducting comprehensive technical evaluations of companies participating in Colombia's electricity service chain to verify performance and ensure users receive timely and reliable supply across all regions.
Read moreEnergy Minister Edwin Palma announced that the Colombian government has activated a subsidy rights assignment mechanism to restore liquidity to electric sector companies and stabilize financial flows.
Read moreISA announced it will install Colombia's Caribbean region's first public network of fast-charging stations for electric vehicles along the Cartagena-Barranquilla corridor and the Circunvalar de La Prosperidad highway.
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Colombia inaugurated what promises to be its largest floating solar park in Turbaco, Bolívar in October 2025, but the project highlights a significant regulatory gap regarding environmental protections for these installations.
Read moreColombia's Ministry of Mines and Energy announced a historic initiative during the II Summit on Governance for Just Energy Transition and Peace in Santa Marta on November 24, 2025: the creation of a National Association of Energy Communities.
Read moreAfinia, EPM's electricity distribution subsidiary serving Colombia's Caribbean coast, faces a projected deficit of 1.5 to 1.8 trillion pesos in 2026, according to Ricardo Arango, the company's general manager.
Read moreTesla recently officially launched operations in Colombia, marking a significant milestone as the country becomes the electric vehicle manufacturer's 50th global market and second in South America after Chile.
Read moreColombia's electricity distributors and retailers have issued a dire warning about proposed regulatory changes that could devastate the sector.
Read moreColombia's Ministry of Mines and Energy announced an extensive incentive package on November 24, 2025, aimed at accelerating the development of electric vehicle charging infrastructure nationwide. The measures promote sustainable mobility, attract investment, and reduce operating costs for charging service providers.
Read moreColombia's electricity spot market experienced a dramatic 88.7% price decline in October 2025 compared to the same month in 2024, but consumers should not expect similar reductions in their energy bills.
Read moreWhen Ecopetrol took over the moribund Windpeshi Wind Farm project in La Guajira, we thought the NOC’s emphasis on political rather than shareholder outcomes might prove successful. Looks like it has.
Read moreEnergy demand in October 2025 increased 2.44% compared to September 2024, with consumption exceeding 7,197 gigawatt-hours. The Caribbean region led consumption across Colombia's 10 major regions monitored by XM, the country's electric market operator.
Read moreHitachi Energy has identified six key trends and solutions critical for accelerating the electrification of the mining industry in Colombia as the sector faces pressure to adopt sustainable practices and meet the country’s energy transition goals.
Read moreGrupo Energía Bogotá (GEB) has secured a key contract from Colombia's Mining-Energy Planning Unit (UPME) on November 24 to build, operate, and maintain the 230 kV Sopó substation and associated transmission lines in Guasca, Sopó, and La Calera, Cundinamarca.
Read moreISA's president, Jorge Carrillo, announced the company will expand into energy storage while maintaining its core businesses of electricity transmission and infrastructure.
Read moreColombia is currently experiencing an unprecedented surge in electric vehicle (EV) sales, a phenomenon described as a "boom" with a remarkable 155% growth in 2025 alone. However, this swift market expansion is met with a notable lag in the development of charging infrastructure.
Read moreColombia inaugurated "Pétalo del Norte I," its first solar project to meet international standards, located in La Esperanza, Norte de Santander.
Read moreACIEM, the Colombian engineers’ association published this article advocating nuclear power investment for the country’s Caribbean region. While the Caribbean is the country’s center for renewable energy, that needs complementary firm power to smooth out the irregularities of Mother Nature and coal is no longer a long-term strategic option.
Read moreColombia’s longstanding struggle to guarantee universal access to energy is resurfacing with urgency.
Read moreColombia took center stage at COP30 in Belém after Environment Minister (MinAmbiente) Irene Vélez unveiled the Belém Declaration, a political manifesto calling for a concrete, enforceable roadmap to phase out fossil fuels, “not symbolically, but tangibly,” she said to a packed room filled with applause and slogans of support.
Read moreGlobal investment in the energy transition reached a record US$2.4T in 2024, growing 20% year-on-year, according to a new report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).
Read moreA brief remark at the VIII Petroleum, Gas and Energy Summit was enough to stir debate across Colombia’s energy sector.
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Well maybe not rain a lot or even right now, but enough to ensure that when the dry season arrives in December (as all Colombians hope it does) the hydro dam reservoirs are full enough to maintain power without problems.
Read moreA few weeks ago, I wrote an article about the needs of the many and the needs of the few, using this idea to talk about the ability of small groups to prevent energy investments that are vital for “keeping the lights on”. Recently, I came upon an article about the French government’s frustrating attempts to move the inhabitants of Miquelon to safety and that got me thinking about North America’s St. Lawrence Seaway where the Ontario government moved 7,500 people to make way for a hydro dam.
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A few weeks ago I was writing about solar power and thinking about sources of variability, when this line from an old Joni Mitchell song popped into my head. I penciled writing about it into the schedule but kept putting it off. Now I have no excuse but to explore what it means for the Colombian energy matrix. (Photo source: https://www.accuweather.com/en/co/national/satellite-wv, 2025 11 05 16:45 COT)
Read moreSomewhere in the various newsletters I subscribe to I read a review of “More and More and More” by Jean-Baptiste Fressoz. I’m pretty sure it was The Economist from last November. Certainly, The Economist’s title would have caught my attention “Energy transition” has been profoundly misunderstood. I finally got around to reading the book.
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Against the principles of the Colombian government’s energy transition strategy, the percentage of Non-Renewable power has been increasing in the past couple of months. (Brown area in the lead graph.) Why?
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In this quarter’s wrap up of public-transport-related news, we discuss commuter projects in Bogotá, Medellín and Cali. We also talk about financing at the regional, national and Latin America levels.
Read moreI recently attended the annual ENERCOL conference, put on by ACIEM, the Colombian association of electrical engineers. The two days were packed with information and interesting presentations, too dense to cover completely. Here, I will talk about the serious challenges the speakers identified and my views on perhaps the most difficult barrier to their resolution.
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With so much bad news coming out of the Petro government and elections looming, ministers are no doubt encouraged to come out with “good news” press releases. MinEnergia Edwin Palma announced “The country achieved 13.7% in clean energy”, referencing September 2025. We couldn’t reproduce that number. But the real story is not a bad one either.
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Colombia’s statistical institute, DANE, updated its GDP estimates for the second quarter and so we updated our estimates of energy intensity and income elasticity. We also updated our forecasts to discuss the issue of blackouts in 2026.
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We have published 5 articles on green hydrogen since the first of August. One would almost think it was a hot topic. Maybe in Colombia. Not in the rest of the world, it seems. Could we be throwing a party where nobody comes?
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MinEnergia Edwin Palma and President Gustavo Petro like to tell us that there’s lots of new solar generation capacity coming online. But we can’t see it in XM’s databases and we even think about 500MWp went missing in March of this year. We are not saying the new capacity doesn’t exist: it just doesn’t appear in the official records.
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Colombia worries about importing gas because of its higher price. This obviously affects everyone using gas but there will also be an impact on electricity prices given the continuing importance of gas-powered thermogeneration to the matrix (to the chagrin of the “Illuminati”).
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Luckily Hurricane Erin did not make landfall in the Caribbean. Tropical storm force winds did not even brush Puerto Rico. But earlier in the week, experts concerned about what might happen, thought the American protectorate might escape unharmed from a power perspective thanks to the island’s distributed solar matrix.
Read moreWe have frequently complained that the Petro government’s near obsession with distributed solar is a marvelous solution to those currently off the grid or rural dwellers in single-family homes. But the idea is not workable for most Colombian families that live in multi-dwelling units (MDUs). Technology marches on, however, and there may be an answer to our criticism.
Read moreMany of you will see this article in our Thursday, August 7th, 2025 newsletter. Those based in Colombia may not until Friday because the August 7th is a holiday commemorating the Battle of Boyacá, a decisive blow in the war of liberation from the Spanish. It is also the day that, every four years, Colombia inaugurates a new president.
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Scary to think we are already deep into July and 2025 is more than half over. (Which means we are halfway through the quarter-century year. Sheesh!) XM updated its official publication of generation data, and we processed the daily numbers to estimate 1H25 demand. Here is where we are.
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The International Energy Agency, IEA, recently published a report on the biofuels opportunity with an emphasis on developing countries. We looked at the study from a Colombian perspective.
Read moreBetween April and June 2025, Colombia’s railway development narrative has shifted from stalled hopes to visible traction—especially around implementation timelines, contract finalizations, and funding certainty. At least for some projects.
Read moreI am not a certified engineer but I’ve worked in communications networks for nearly half-a century. A PE-investor once told me that engineers who work in electrical networks have no respect for communications engineers because of the difference in voltage. Grab the wrong wire under the wrong circumstances and you will die. We now have (multiple) analyses of the great Iberian blackout at the end of April. There are lessons to be learned from them.
Read moreYou know. The kind you shouldn’t watch but can’t stop peaking through your fingers to see what happens next. Electricaribe / Air-e is like that. You know there will be blood but you have to be there as it unfolds. Will Afinia be the next victim?
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Recently, the head of XM, the electricity market manager, told Valor Analitik, a business news site, that electricity demand would increase by 25% through 2033, driven by “electrified transport, coverage expansion, industrial development and the rise of energy-intensive technologies like Artificial Intelligence.” We would like to believe that but see no evidence in the data.
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Today’s article about Ecopetrol buying wind and solar projects left and right, inspired the above graph. By 2027, ECP will indeed have a big impact on Colombia’s stock of renewable generation. This article updates our capacity graphs to the end of last week and digs deeper into the National Oil Company’s stock of renewable energy.
Read moreAlmost exactly a year ago to the day you will see this article, we published a long analysis of Levelized Costs of Energy (LCOE) in a Colombian context. Recently a number of energy research organizations have updated their LCOE although the UPME has not. Also recently, XM held an auction for power generation and the results should tell us something about how investors perceive relative costs… or risks.
Read moreA number of observers worry that Colombia will run out of generating capacity in 2026 or 2027. The ministry, of course, says it has everything under control. The president thinks the answer is rooftop solar even in rainy, high-rise, Bogotá. What does the data say?
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April showers allowed XM to continue to use hydro but still see reservoir levels rise. Updating our fundamental daily-data charts on generation and reservoirs.
Read morePalma and Petro. Petro and Palma. The (not so) new Energy Minister Edwin Palma comes from Ecopetrol with a stint as Vice Minister of Labor and, more recently, as the “intervenor” in beleaguered Caribbean power distributor, Air-e. If he learned anything from these experiences, he seems have suppressed it to follow President Gustavo Petro’s whims. We will all suffer a black eye for the consequences.
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For the end of the first quarter of 2025, we updated our XM database which contains the key monthly indicators of power demand and supply. We have noted previously that the generation matrix was turning back to hydro, no doubt for cost reasons, but perhaps too soon to maintain reservoir levels.
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Just as we made our last check for the quarterly roundup of rail transport-related articles, MinTransporte announced a winner for the country’s first PPP (Public Private Partnership) for the core rail line up the Magdalena River.
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In Bogotá, we seem to get a tropical downpour every afternoon. At various times, rural areas have been isolated by landslides caused by saturated earth. But you have to squint at the above graph to see an increase in reservoir levels right at the far right hand side of the chart, something from the last few days, and so maybe a blip. Why?
Read moreThis decade has demonstrated how “science” swings with “politics”. For the first half, anthropogenic climate change increased temperatures and a global consensus drove energy transition. Since Monday, January 20th of this year, all that has changed. What will happen in Colombia on August 7th 2026?
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The good news is that wholesale electricity prices continue to fall. The bad news is that maybe it still isn’t raining enough. We can explain.
Read moreLast month we wrote that we had expected to see geothermal play an important role in Colombia’s energy matrix but it wasn’t happening. Since that article we found some more material, some Colombian but mostly global. Many of the challenges are not unique to here.
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We can debate strategic issues like why Colombia should accelerate energy transition while sitting on enormous coal reserves or tactical issues like whether the Levelized Cost of Energy is lower for solar or gas thermal. But we cannot debate that Mother Nature is harder to predict than a thermal plant.
Read moreI recently came across an article from a US business school analyzing whether farmers there should raise corn or install solar panels. That got me thinking about Colombia’s rural solar opportunity which President Gustavo Petro thinks could make the country an energy exporter.
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The Petro government has put virtually all its “eggs” in a solar basket, relying almost exclusively on rooftop or community solar for growth. These have indeed grown in quantity but very little or none translates into additional capacity for the grid.
Read moreLast week, The Economist’s weekly environmental newsletter The Climate Issue, talked about regions where deserts meet oceans as “creating the ideal conditions for generating renewable electricity”. Colombia has one of those.
Read moreJust slightly over a year ago we published a general article on geothermal energy in Colombia. We were positive saying that “Geothermal could fill the reliability gap”. Since that time, there has been some development but not as much as we hoped, unfortunately.
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XM recently wrote a press release which we covered, celebrating increases in electricity generating capacity during 2024,. The very same day, we published an article with commentary by ex-MinEnergias, consultants and generation industry association, Alcogen, saying capacity was tight and rationing was a risk. One day later, the Comptroller General warned of rationing and maybe blackouts. What is the real situation?
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XM has published all the data on 2024 that we expect to see. What do the numbers tell us about demand trends, the management of El Niño (and La Niña), the generation matrix, imported gas and the growth of non-traditional sources?
Read moreCongressional and presidential elections come next year in 2026. President Gustavo Petro wants the winning candidates to provide continuity with his programs, so this year, 2025, represents his last chance to influence voters. Although his reforms affect broad swaths of the Colombian economy, he clearly sees energy policy as an opportunity to leave a mark.
Read moreOver the holidays, the Petro government moved even closer to buying Air-e, not merely “intervening” and operating it on a (theoretically) short-term basis. The other Caribbean operator, Afina, has repeatedly offered Petro “the car keys”. Also Minhacienda is not paying its bills, pushing even major players like EPM into financial problems. Is the goal renationalization? Some history might help understanding.
Read moreThe Colombian government has delivered the first 80 "Casas del Sol" (Solar Houses) in the La Guajira department, benefiting 1,438 Indigenous families from local tribes.
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With nearly a kilometer of elevated infrastructure complete, Bogotá’s long-delayed metro might actually be built. This and other stories in our quarterly update of rail and public transportation news in Colombia.
Read moreThe COP16 / COP29 double header is over, bookending the US presidential and congressional elections, perhaps the most significant event in climate policy in recent memory. What, if anything, are the implications for the planet and for Colombia.
Read moreThe debate between industry associations and the government can be characterized or perhaps caricaturized by the dichotomy in the title. Maybe the debate is fundamental (as the industry associations and liberal economists believe) or maybe it is irrelevant because the two can coexist.
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COP16 in Cali was a great success for the city and for MinAmbiente Susana Muhamad. However, given that it ended without a consensus declaration, it failed to achieve its ultimate purpose. But lots of groups had lots to say and some of these were relevant for green power and for Colombia.
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Halloween is not as pervasive in Colombia as Christmas nor as pervasive as it is in other countries. Nor is November 1st the “Day of the Dead” as it is in Mexico. This Monday is a “puente”, Friday’s “All Souls Day” slid to the other side of the weekend because Colombians prefer that. Likely no one will knock on our door tonight (few or no kids in our building) and orange and black is nowhere to be seen except in a few shopping centers. But scary stories abound in the energy sector!
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