Authorities in Bogota have released an update on the ongoing offshore wind allocation round for sites in the Atlantico area, off the country’s northwest coast. An initial eight companies and consortium were announced qualified last December, including familiar names from the European supply chain like Jan de Nul and DEME, and several Chinese developers, such as China Three Gorges and Power China. According to the authorities, 69 applications from the qualified developers have now been submitted for consideration in the round. After an assessment period, the final number of projects part of the allocation process will be announced by May.

The Governments goal is to award projects that together generate a minimum installed capacity of 1 GW. Projects will have the option to occupy an area 270 km², with a minimum installed capacity of 200 MW. The results and the winners of the round are expected to be announced in Q3/Q4 later this year. The permits awarded in the round will have a duration of eight years, and may be converted into 30-years concessions, with the possibility of a 15-years extension. Each developer/consortia have the option to participate with a maximum of two proposals in the final parts of the round.

The number of proposed bids can be seen as a win for Colombian authorities, after a trend of developers being careful the last years of bidding on new areas. Although the final number of projects is yet unknown, the initial interest in the emerging markets seems promising. The round could also prove a good opportunity for Chinese developers to expand beyond the domestic Chinese market, showcasing Chinese turbines to potential buyers in other more mature markets.
Full list of qualified candidates:

– Celsia/ Deme
– Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners
– China Three Gorges
– Dyna Energy/Seynekun/Enterprise Energy
– Ecopetrol
– Jan de Nul
– Power China
– BlueFloat Energy

Image Credit: CIP