In a series of letters dated July 16, the Ministry of Mines and Energy, headed by Edwin Palma has just warned about possible energy risks in the country in the midst of the El Niño Phenomenon.
Palma alerts are related to maintenance that It will be carried out at the El Guavio and Chivor hydroelectric plants during the drought season.
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Energy security
The document that the Minister of Mines, Edwin Palma, sent to Antonio Jiménez, director of the Creg. Photo:Private file
Minister Palma’s letters are addressed to the National Operation Council of the electricity sector, to XM, to the Energy and Gas Regulation Commission (Creg); to Enel, operator of the hydroelectric plant El Guavio and AES Colombia, Chivor operator.
The Government’s concern regarding scheduled maintenance in the two hydroelectric plants is that they could coincide with a period of El Niño Phenomenon and affect the reliability of the electrical system.
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In the letter sent by Minister Palma to the director of the Energy and Gas Regulation Commission, Antonio Jiménez Rivera, first known by EL TIEMPO, It warns about the potential risks and safety requirements that would be generated as a consequence of the interventions at the Chivor and Guavio hydroelectric power plants.
According to the document, interventions would be carried out at the Chivor plant from October 16 to June 10, 2027, from September 10 of the same year to May 4, 2028 and from September 1, 2028 to June 10, 2029. For this, it is ensured that 500 megawatts are required.
Rescheduling?
Minister Palma’s letters to the managers of Enel and AES. Photo:Private file
And at the Guavio plant, it is said that they will carry out interventions from January 1 of next year to April 30, 2027, from January 1, 2028 to April 30 of the same year and from January 1, 2029 to April 30, 2029. For these processes, the letter says that the reservoir will reach a maximum of 17 percent of the useful volume of the Plant.
That’s why, Minister Palma warns that if these interventions are carried out simultaneously, they could generate an unavailability of 1,750 MW in the system and, in addition, they will coincide with the most critical months of the El Niño Phenomenon during next summer.
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“Consequently, the results of the simulations of the National Dispatch Center (CND) indicate that up to 10 percent of the demand in the eastern area would be affected under the most critical scenario. evaluated and a power deficit could occur at a systemic level,” reads the letter known to EL TIEMPO.
And they highlight that due to the duration and impact of these interventions Concern arises as to whether they can actually be classified as maintenance or if they are capacity expansions, repowering or plant modernization. that may be subject to rescheduling without risk for any agent or person involved.
For this reason, the Ministry of Mines asked to know the actions that, under the current regulatory framework, the National Government can carry out. to order the rescheduling of interventions to minimize the risks of demand neglect, the signing of backup contracts established to make up for temporary energy shortages and the return to users of payments made for Reliability Charge for Firm Energy Obligations not met by the owners of the plants.
The letter to XM
Maintenance work at the El Guavio hydroelectric plant, different from those reported by Palma. Photo:Enel Colombia
In another of the documents sent by Palma to Juan Carlos Morales, who will assume the management in charge of XM – he will administer the Wholesale Energy Market -, it is ensured thatThe analyzes carried out by the National Dispatch Center show that the maintenance programs do not preserve the safety and reliability margins of the National Interconnected System. during next summer and presumably during the three years where the interventions are scheduled.
Therefore, they asked to inform the Ministry of Mines about the results and the efforts carried out by the National Dispatch Center with the agents who will carry out the maintenance so that they can be scheduled again.
For their part, Francesco Bertoli, general manager of Enel and Federico Echavarría, manager of AES Colombia, the operators of the two hydroelectric plants, Minister Palma asked them to send the technical characteristics and schedules of the intervention in the Guavio and Chivor power plant and the support contracts used by the company.
It is expected that in the coming days Palma’s requirements will be answered, which will be key to informing the incoming government on this issue.
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