Colombia plans to receive offers from companies interested in offshore wind blocks in August 2024, according to a schedule published by the Government on Friday, following a presentation by in front of private companies and representatives of foreign governments.
President Gustavo Petro, Colombia’s first leftist leader, has set the goal of weaning the Andean country from its fiscal dependence on fossil fuels while ensuring energy self-sufficiency.
Documents including a schedule published by the National Hydrocarbons Agency (ANH) on Friday set the tender date for offshore wind blocks for August 2 next year.
The delays affected the process and the tender documents were originally scheduled to be published in August this year.
According to two sources and a document seen by Reuters, representatives from European governments, private companies and industry groups have been invited to attend a presentation of the bidding round and legal requirements.
In early October, the Ministry of Mines and Energy published draft amendments to the rules governing the licensing process for offshore wind farms, which will require bidders to “submit an agreement to join the equity of the company owned by the state of Colombia ” for the license in question.
One of the documents released Friday included a form that allows private companies to declare a “consortium or promise of future partnership” with an unnamed state-owned company.
Last month, three sources told Reuters that the Colombian government intends to make the state-controlled oil company Ecopetrol a mandatory partner for all offshore wind energy projects. on the coast, without specifying the size of its stake.
