AES Gener wins Ecopetrol’s tender for the construction of the San Fernando Solar Project

August 18, 2020

  • With an installed capacity of 59 MW, the San Fernando solar project will become the largest self-generation solar plant in Colombia, joining the 21MW of the Castilla solar plant in operation since October 2019.
  • San Fernando will be a pioneer, using solar bifacial solar panels and sun tracking technology, making it highly efficient and the most innovative solar project in Colombia.

August 20, 2020.- AES Gener’s subsidiary, AES Colombia, has consolidated itself as Ecopetrol’s strategic partner with innovative, sustainable and competitive energy solutions.

The company was awarded a 15-year PPA, which includes the construction, operation and maintenance of the new 59 MW San Fernando Solar Project.

Located in the Municipality of Castilla La Nueva, in the county of Meta, the new solar project will supply part of the energy required for the operations of Ecopetrol and Cenit in the Eastern Plains of Colombia.

The project will be built in an area of ​​approximately 47 hectares, where AES Colombia will install approximately 113,000, monocrystalline silicon bifacial 530 Wp panels. The solar plant is expected to start operations during the first half of 2021.

San Fernando is the most innovative solar project in Colombia. It combines bifacial technology, that captures sunlight from both sides of the panels, and tracking systems, optimizing the orientation of the panels to capture the sun’s rays at all times. 

“We are convinced that coexistence between all forms of energy generation is possible. The construction of our second solar plant is another step in our commitment to advance towards the energy transition and to have an installed capacity of renewable energies of approximately 300 MW by 2022”, said Ecopetrol’s CEO, Felipe Bayón.  

“The construction of the San Fernando Solar Project confirms our commitment to Colombia. We are very proud and grateful to be able to continue supporting Ecopetrol in the execution of its transformational strategy and together contribute to the sustainable development of the country with innovative, sustainable and competitive energy solutions”, said AES Gener’s CEO, Ricardo Falú. 

Falú continued to say “with this project, AES Colombia advances in the incorporation of non-conventional renewable energy to its portfolio, hand in hand with its customers and contributes to Greentegra’s objectives of greening customers´ energy supply, reducing the carbon intensity of its portfolio and strengthening AES Gener’s investment grade”.

AES Colombia also built and operates the 21 MW Castilla Solar plant for Ecopetrol, which is until today the largest self-generation solar plant in Colombia.

Ecopetrol is Colombia’s national oil company.  It is among the 40 largest oil companies in the world and among the four largest in Latin America.