Colombia: Dispelling myths and facing renewable energy challenges

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Over 400 high level representatives from government, business and academia attended a Colombian member committee event ‘Myths and Challenges of Renewable Energies’ which was opened by the Colombian Energy Vice-Minister in Bogotá.

The aim of the meeting was to dispel the myths that have built up around non-conventional renewable energy in Colombia by highlighting success stories and facing up to the challenges of regulation and financing that will allow proper development of these resources.

José Antonio Vargas Lleras, Vice-President LAC World Energy Council said:

“Colombia has great renewable potential, but it needs the right policies, regulatory signals and market design that will attract investment and enable the full development of this potential.

“Colombia has abundant energy resources which can help us become more resilient to extreme weather events such as El Nino. Also, renewables can help to improve access to energy in remote areas and provide the impetus for local development and thereby reducing poverty.

“The agreements reached at the Paris COP21 talks present a vision of the future where renewable resources together with e-storage and innovative design will be key to meeting the agreed targets. Renewable energy resources can contribute greatly to energy security in Colombia by complementing the water resources on which our hydropower generation is so dependent. It gives us greater resilience and helps us to better address risks from the water-energy nexus and extreme weather events.”

The event was followed by technical workshops to give public employees the opportunity to engage with international experts present at the meeting and further develop discussions.