This Monday XM warned that in Chocó and the departments of the Caribbean region there is a high risk of energy rationing in the short term due to increased consumption and the lack of new transmission and distribution works.
In the medium term, this risk is latent for Bogota, Cundinamarca and MetaTherefore, the execution and structuring of projects in the National Transmission System (STN) is necessary.
(Also read: Rationing: XM warnings for the Coast, Chocó and even Sabana de Bogotá)
Given these alerts, the Energy Mining Planning Unit (Upme) he had to speak out and “make some clarifications and observations in relation to the assertions” of XM.
He states that “it is important to avoid confusion in public opinion between what is meant by unmet demand due to operational situations and service interruptions due to energy deficit, highlighting that no latent risk has been detected or reported on the latter“.
also asked avoid the disclosure of signals that may generate panic and misinformation in the sector and in the public, because they go against the general interest.
While XM assures that the energy demand has produced more than 5 percent, exceeding the projections of the Upme, this entity indicates that its projections are “very close to the actual values observed up to June 2023”.
“In fact, the difference between the projected mean values and the actual values
observed reaches 99 percent reliability”, says Upme. In addition, it highlights that the real growth of demand is within the projections made.
Regarding the exhaustion of the network in some areas of the country, Upme assures that they have been public knowledge for more than a decade, such as the case of La Guajira, Cesar and Magdalena.
(Also read: Faced with blackout alerts, energy unions ask the Government for new expansion plans)
Likewise, he agreed with XM that, for several years, the depletion of the network has led to risks and materialization of power cuts that suffer in a particular way the most vulnerable areas historically, such as the Colombian Caribbean and Pacific.
An example of this, he says, are some of the communications sent to Upme and the Ministry of Mines and Energy by the National Operation Council in 2018, 2019 and 2022 in which deficient technical circumstances of these regions are exposed and that have motivated joint work actions between the different agents of the system, such as Upme and XM.
Despite the objections, Upme recognized the need to expand the STN and highlighted that between 2014 and 2023, 31 works of the National Transmission System (14 in the Caribbean region) and 14 of the Regional Transmission System (13 in the Caribbean region) have entered into service.
(Also read: Government backs down with possible appointment of Vice Minister of Energy)
At the moment, there are 16 works in progress, awarded by Upme through public calls, which correspond to 11 for the national system and five for the regional system. In addition to the latter, there are three expansion works, currently under development.
Specifically, projects such as La Loma (lines to El Paso and La Jagua), Atlántico and La Marina (Cartagena) will be in service throughout 2023while the energy storage system (batteries) in Barranquilla, the Guatapurí substation in Valledupar and the Chinú-Toluviejo line will start operating in 2024.
For the 500 kV Carreto line in Bolívar, the call will begin soon. According to Upme, all these works allow to improve the infrastructure and meet the needs of the electrical system in these areas.
