Diana Delgado, Argus Media

BOGOTA
EnergiesNet.com 12 06 2023

Colombia has opened an auction for temporary area permits for offshore wind development in the Caribbean, as part of the country’s goal to have 7GW of capacity installed by 2040.

The bidding conditions of the tender were announced by energy minister Andres Camacho at the UN’s Cop 28 climate summit in Dubai.

The areas on offer are located off the coast of Magdalena, Bolivar and Sucre provinces.

Submissions of bids for areas no larger than 270km2 is open until 24 August next year. Bidders will be obliged to form a consortium with a public or private-public energy company where the state has a stake, the terms say. The only energy companies in which the state has a stake are state-controlled oil company Ecopetrol and its power transmission unit ISA, according to two lawyers.

ANH will publish a list of qualified companies on 21 April next year and a final list of eligible companies on 15 December 2024.

The areas will be awarded in late December 2024. Winning companies will have to prove legal, technical and financial capabilities, the ministry added.

The permits will give developers exclusive rights over certain maritime areas for eight years, during which they will conduct feasibility studies for their projects. A temporary permit will become a 30-year concession once the studies of the projects are considered feasible.

Colombia’s offshore wind roadmap says the country has the potential to install almost 50GW of offshore wind capacity, of which around 27GW would be in shallow water and about 21GW would require floating infrastructure.

argusmedia.com 12 05 2023