The nation has been preparing the roadmap with which seeks in the short and medium term to develop offshore wind farm projects, in another step to strengthen its energy transition policy.
The development of these unconventional renewable energy sources in shallow waters of the Caribbean Sea off the coast of Atlántico, Magdalena and La Guajira would already count, for their execution, with the support of multilateral organizations and foreign governments.
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“Colombia has great potential in offshore wind energy in areas of Barranquilla, Santa Marta and Riohacha. For this reason, we are preparing, with the support of the World Bank and the government of the United Kingdom, the roadmap for the development of this technology in the country, which will be published in the first quarter of 2022 for comments “, explained Miguel Lotero, Deputy Minister of Energy.
Precisely, the official led the technical mission of the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) that traveled to Denmark in order to exchange knowledge and key experiences to advance the development of these projects, and thus take advantage of the great potential that the country has in offshore wind power.
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The intention of the MME, as well as the Upme, with the roadmap is to achieve the development of these clean energy sources, in order to integrate them into the National Interconnected System (SIN), for this reason, the document will be complemented with a study in which the key areas in the waters of the Caribbean Sea will be identified to carry out the initiatives, as is the case of the waters in front of the department of Atlántico, whose wind potential is higher than that registered in the waters shallow waters of La Guajira.
During the visit to Denmark, the MME technical team, together with members of the Danish Energy Agency (ADE), toured the facilities of the Amager Bakke plant, dedicated to the processing of solid waste for energy production, as well as the port of Esbjerg, key in the logistics of offshore wind energy projects.
The same way, The official mission served as a bridge for Danish companies such as Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners and Ørsted to have already expressed their interest in developing these projects in the Caribbean Sea.
For the MME technicians who visited Denmark and who are in charge of drawing up the roadmap, it is clear that, if the wind projects that are developed onshore in the La Guajira peninsula surprise or will surprise by the results, thanks to the high level speed in the windsIn offshore, the results in terms of electricity generation would be much better, since the air currents are greater in shallow waters.
Thus, if these clean energy projects are developed in these waters, current at a higher amperage would be produced, since it is estimated that the wind has a speed of one meter per second (1 m / s) above coastal areas, because there are no obstacles to prevent air currents from cutting off.
Another advantage they present offshore wind farms is that, being close to urban centers, energy reaches more people, thus satisfying their main needs.
However, offshore wind farms also have some drawbacks: investment and maintenance costs are higher than those of a wind power plant installed on land, in addition to the process to obtain its environmental license, as it would be more complex due to the nature of the work.
ALFONSO LÓPEZ SUÁREZ
