Colombia's Ecopetrol installs 22.1-MW solar farm at Cartagena refinery

Solar panels by iamme ubeyou.

Colombian petroleum company Ecopetrol SA (NYSE:EC) has finalised the construction of a 22.1-MW solar farm at its Cartagena refinery in Colombia, completing its first solar project.

The solar farm will be commissioned in two phases, with the first delivering 4 MW, Ecopetrol said on Friday.

Once the second phase with the remaining capacity is commissioned, the new plant will be capable of generating up to 34.4 GWh of electricity annually.

The solar farm features 40,146 panels covering an area of 19.9 hectares (49.2 acres). According to Ecopetrol, it is the only solar farm located within a refinery in Latin America. Its output will be used to replace self-generation with gas at the refinery.

The Cartagena project is the first solar project executed by Ecopetrol. Solar farms that serve Ecopetrol’s oil fields and logistics centres were built by a third party under power purchase agreements (PPAs).

Choose your newsletter by Renewables Now. Join for free!

More stories to explore