The Mining and Energy Planning Unit (Upme) announced that, of the 843 requests for connection of generation projects to the National Interconnected System (SIN) received by the entity, only 184 were approved.
These applications that were approved will allow them to connect to the SIN 7,493 megawatts in generation plantsmainly of the solar and wind type, which will allow the great potential of non-conventional renewable energy in the country to be taken advantage of.
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The general director of Upme assured that the entry into operation of these projects will guarantee the provision of a more reliable electric power service and competitive, by enabling greater options in the market, in addition to contributing to the change in the country’s electrical matrix.
Of the 7,493 megawatts assigned, 5,774 megawatts (77 percent) correspond to solar energypositioning itself as the main technology that will be leading the country’s energy transition with 147 projects.
In second place is wind power with 1,237.8 megawatts (16.5 percent) in 10 projects, 6 of which are offshore for 349.8 megawatts. Likewise, a repair of 169 megawatts of 7 hydroelectric projects and a new biomass project.
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At a geographical level, the operating areas of La Guajira-Cesar-Magdalena with an estimate of 1,620 megawatts, Caldas-Quindío-Risaralda with 1,297 megawatts and, particularly, wind farms in the Central-Eastern and North Santander areas.
The transportation capacity of these projects was made viable taking into account their contribution to increase reliability; improve electrical flexibility (possibility to control the resource); reduce emissions, grid constraints (such as grid depletion) and the stock price (cheaper energy); and less impact on energy losses and the status of the environmental licensing process.
«While up to 2014, for example, we received an average of 10 to 15 requests per year, this time 843 were obtained between generation and consumption with the same organizational capacity as ten years ago, a situation that highlights the great interest in generation initiatives with non-conventional sources of renewable energy», said the director of Upme.