BOGOTÁ, Colombia (AP) — Colombia’s ambitious initiatives to develop wind energy, particularly in the resource-rich Laguajira region, are experiencing significant challenges as major companies pull back and projects remain stalled, according to industry experts.
Margarita Nivs, director of Colombia’s offshore wind research network, informed The Associated Press that there are currently only two operational wind farms, each with a capacity below 32 megawatts, despite lofty goals, including the 1.1 gigawatts awarded during the 2019 auction.
The Mining and Energy Planning Unit of Colombia predicts that the country has the potential to generate up to 18 gigawatts of wind energy.
Some companies imported equipment and established infrastructure in Colombia around 2021 without first obtaining permits, but the wind park has yet to be realized. Major hurdles include the limited grid connection infrastructure in Laguajira, recent regulatory changes that have diminished financial returns, and a range of complex social and leadership issues.
Two people on a motorcycle drive near a wind turbine in the outskirts of Cabode Labella, Colombia, February 7, 2025 (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia, File)
Colombia, the third most populous country in Latin America, aims to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. The country’s first leftist president, Gustavo Petro, an environmentalist, is a proponent of the Just Energy transition. However, Colombia remains heavily reliant on fossil fuels, with oil being its largest export and primary source of government revenue.
In 2023, Italian multinational Enel exited the Windpesion Shore Wind Energy Project in Laguajira. By the end of 2024, EDP Renewables cancelled two significant projects—Alpha and Beta—both large onshore wind farms in the same area. In May, the state-owned oil company Ecopetrol acquired nine solar and wind projects from Norway’s Statkraft, marking the latter’s departure from the Colombian market. The portfolio spans Laguajira, Sucre, Córdoba, Caldas, and Magdalena, with a combined potential capacity of 1.3 gigawatts. Currently, only one of these projects is operational, while the others are expected to be activated between 2026 and 2027.
This acquisition is part of Ecopetrol’s broader strategy for energy transition to lessen its dependence on oil and gas and meet its net-zero goal by 2050. However, challenges such as regulatory delays, governance concerns, and potential impacts on Colombia’s economic stability raise questions about the speed of this transition and its financial consequences.
Nivs expressed deep concern over the situation, noting that only two of the more than 20 planned projects are in progress. She emphasized the necessity to accelerate the regulatory process; Improve consultations with Indigenous communities—especially the Wayuu of Laguajira—and to ensure adequate electrical infrastructure.
The delay also threatens wind ambitions off the coast of Colombia
“Colombia is over 20 years behind in wind energy,” Nivs stated. “In contrast, Brazil has built over 1,300 onshore wind farms in the past two decades and is now the world’s leading turbine producer.”
The Wind Energy Project is part of Colombia’s Just Energy Transition, which seeks to substitute fossil fuels with renewable energy while supporting vulnerable groups, including Indigenous peoples. The region is home to Cerrejón, one of the world’s largest open-pit coal mines and a significant player in Latin America’s mining sector, which has been operational since 1985 and remains within its lifespan.
Resistance to projects with Indigenous communities
On February 7, 2025, when wind turbines operate in the outskirts of Cabode Lavera, Colombia, Indigenous women from the Weiwu community cook near the baby.
For Samuel Ranao, Director of Environment at Laguazilla, the primary reason many licensed renewable energy projects are being divested is due to entrenched social tensions, particularly stemming from prior consultation processes with local Indigenous communities. Ranao explained that conflicts arose between businesses and community members, disrupting development expectations.
“This was a significant setback for Laguajira,” he remarked.
The Wei—a seminomadic indigenous group in northern Colombia and the arid region of Venezuela—remain divided over wind energy development. While some embrace the financial opportunities provided by companies building turbines on their ancestral lands, many others have voiced concerns over environmental and cultural repercussions, along with inadequate prior consultations, in one of Colombia’s poorest areas.
Diego Patron, manager of the Jemeiwaa Ka’ii Wind Project, a significant wind farm cluster in La Guajira, acknowledged the innovative nature of Colombia’s early wind initiatives, which commenced in a regulated vacuum without a clear institutional framework.
“These foundational projects experienced a sudden institutional and territorial learning curve, resulting in the loss of major strategic opportunities,” Patron said. “Nonetheless, their legacy now serves as the foundation for a new initiative.”
Patron believes that obstacles to legal representation of the Wei community, environmental permits, and contract resolutions have been addressed, leading to more stable conditions. “Misinformation has exacerbated tensions, and the goal is to assist the community while redressing the unfair damage to businesses like EDP.”
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Source: apnews.com