Zelestra, a Spanish company, opens a $200 million solar park for Colombia

As part of their expansion into Latin America, the Spanish renewable energy company Zelestra opened on Friday its first solar farm in Colombia. The park is worth $200 million, and it will generate 144 Megawatts of power.

The solar park can be found near Monteria, the capital of Colombia’s Cordoba Province.

The Colombian government is working to reduce the dependence of the country on fossil fuels and coal, and to move it towards renewable energy.

In a press release, Jose Luis Garcia said, "This is an important milestone for Zelestra. We have a very ambitious plan for this region. For many years, we've been present in Chile and Peru, but we missed Colombia, where we hope to grow in coming years."

Zelestra is opening a second solar farm soon in the Cesar Province, expected to produce 108 Megawatts of electricity.

Acolgen, an industry group, says that more than two-thirds of Colombia's energy comes from solar, wind, and hydroelectric dams.

Zelestra aims to develop a portfolio of 1,5 gigawatts in Colombia, 1GW peru and 3GW Chile in order to become a major producer of renewable energy in Latin America. Reporting by Luis Jaime Acosta; Writing by Oliver Griffin, Editing by Susan Fenton

(source: Reuters)