In Colombia, the energy consumption is growing at a faster rate than the offer of generation of electricity sectors, for this reason, several have expressed their concern that this situation could jeopardize the attention of users in the future.
This lack of new generation is mainly due to the fact that it has become more difficult in the country to build projects and, currently, a plant that should have taken four years, It is taking up to eight years to start operating.
(Also read: In these three departments, energy users will have to pay more expensive rates).
“It is increasingly complex to develop new projects in Colombiadue to the limitation that exists in the infrastructure and due to the problems with the communities”, highlighted Luis Miguel Fernández, president of Termocandelaria Power Limited.
Limitation that exists in the infrastructure and due to problems with the communities
For this reason, he ensures that building on what already exists is also an efficient alternative to continue providing Colombians with the reliable electricity they require.
An example of this is precisely the closing of the Termocandelaria combined cycle, which will be ready in a few weeks and will allow it to increase its capacity from 314 MW to 566 MW.
This thought is also shared by Fernando Barrera, legal representative of Termoemcali, because every time the challenges are greater in terms of environmental and social issuesbut it also influences macroeconomic stability, which is directly reflected in bank confidence.
(Also read: Continuity of energy subsidies for vulnerable households would be at risk).
If the banks do not have the peace of mind to make long-term loans, it is very worrying
“Banks are behind the development of any project and of any country.And if the banks do not have the peace of mind to make long-term loans, it is very worrying, because they are projects that require a very high investment and that can only be viable through long-term investments,” he added.
According to Barrea, the development of projects is also affected by the high interest rates that are currently registered because this makes many projects unfeasible. This adds to the exchange rate volatility and insecurity what will happen in the future.
For his part, Felipe Pimiento, legal representative of Termotasajero, stressed that the problems with transportation capacity has become “quite a big barrier” for new projects.
“We have seen in recent years that efforts have been made to improve, but we continue to present this problem of access for generation projects to the system,” he said.
(Also read: Prepare your pocket: energy rates will rise due to the arrival of the El Niño phenomenon).
I think we went back to the times where you couldn’t do many things
Likewise, it highlights the need to have security conditions in the territories. “I think we went back to the times where you couldn’t do many things, many areas could not be reached due to security issues“, sure.
To continue encouraging the development of generation projects, Patricia Mejía, president of Prime Energía Colombia, considers it necessary regulatory opportunities and incentives so that investments can really be made not only in thermal but also in renewable energies.
Meanwhile, Luis Miguel Fernández states that it is essential that the National Government give signs of stability in the law and in the regulation of the sector. Relationship with communities is also key.
“We have been used to analyzing projects from the technical, commercial and financial point of view, but today the communities have the same weight or perhaps more in those development variables of a project that must be taken into account”, he added.
ECONOMY
