Colombia to cut ribbon at its 1st wind farm in over 17 years

The 20-MW Guajira I, Colombia’s first wind farm in over 17 years, will be inaugurated today, Friday, in a ceremony led by president Ivan Duque, the Colombian ministry of mines and energy has announced.

The project was developed by Colombian power company Isagen SA ESP, and comes as the 19.5-MW Jepirachi wind farm, the country’s first, approaches the end of useful life in 2023.

Isagen hired Spanish infrastructure builder Elecnor SA (BME:ENO) to build the new facility in the village of Cabo de la Vela in the department of La Guajira. Ten Vestas turbines were selected for the project.

Construction works were finalised in December 2021, while commercial operation is slated to commence during the first half of 2022, the ministry said.

According to the ministry, the Guajira I project involved an investment of COP 75 billion (USD 18.9m/EUR 16.7m) and benefited from tax incentives extended by the government to promote the development of renewables.

"Guajira I is one of the great milestones of the energy transition, as the first wind farm to be built in the country in 17 years and the first of 14 parks to be built in the next 3 years,” the minister of mines and energy, Diego Mesa, said in a statement.

(COP 1,000 = USD 0.252/EUR 0.222)

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