Colombia commissions 360 MW solar plant

The Puerta de Oro solar park, developed by Patria Investments in Colombia’s Cundinamarca department, has started commercial operations and begun delivering 360 MW to the National Interconnected System (SIN). Located between the municipalities of Guaduas and Chaguaní, the project is the second largest solar facility in the country by installed capacity.

Currently, the largest PV plant in Colombia is the 486.7 MW Guayepo I & II solar park operated by Italian energy company Enel in Ponedera and Sabanalarga, in Atlántico department.

The plant features more than 511,000 photovoltaic modules. According to Patria Investments, the project will generate enough electricity to supply more than 450,000 households and contribute close to 5% of Colombia’s renewable energy integration target. Annual generation is expected to exceed 700 GWh.

The facility is connected to the SIN through a 23 km, 230 kV transmission line. The line crosses the Magdalena River using towers exceeding 110 meters in height. During construction, the project created more than 1,100 jobs, with 95% of positions filled by local workers, according to the company.

“Starting operations allows us to fulfill the commitments established in the 2024 auctions and the 2025 reconfiguration process ahead of schedule,” said Luis Alberto Páez, executive director of Patria Investments’ Energy division in Colombia. “This early injection of firm energy strengthens the reliability of the national electricity system,” he added.

The project represents an investment of approximately $280 million, according to previous information from the Cundinamarca Governor’s Office. The facility includes 330 inverters and is connected to the San Felipe substation in Armero-Guayabal, Tolima, via the new transmission infrastructure.

In November 2020, Colombia’s Ministry of Mines and Energy approved a draft resolution declaring the project, along with the land required for its construction and protection, to be of public utility and social interest.

In May 2024, the National Authority for Environmental Licenses (ANLA) granted an environmental license for the 230 kV transmission line linking the solar park to the SIN, with electricity delivered through the San Felipe substation in Armero-Guayabal, Tolima.

In November 2024, the Financiera de Desarrollo Nacional (FDN) was reported to be financing 20% of the project’s required funds. By September 2025, Puerta de Oro had secured a $138.5 million external loan from the FDN and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).