Image: Manidip Mandal, Unsplash
Colombia’s National Planning Department (DNP) has confirmed that policy document CONPES 4158 authorizes COP 8.35 trillion in financing for the period 2026-2030 to support low-income electricity subsidy schemes for approximately 1.3 million households.
The initiative is part of the Colombia Solar Program, led by the Ministry of Mines and Energy with technical support from the DNP and the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit. The aim is to replace traditional electricity subsidies in low-income homes with self-generation via rooftop photovoltaic systems.
The program will involve public, private and international financing sources for collaboration, with implementation by grid operators, local governments and public utilities.
The expected results include lower electricity costs for beneficiary households through solar self-generation and reduced pressure on the Solidarity Fund for Subsidies and Income Redistribution (FSSRI), which posted a deficit of more than COP 4 trillion in 2024.
The plan also predicts the creation of more than 25,000 direct and indirect jobs, growth in the green economy and technical training in renewable energy in priority regions, including areas designated as development programs with territorial focus, established after Colombia’s 2016 peace agreement with the FARC-EP.
The effort is in line with broader regulatory reforms, including recent decrees introducing an accelerated environmental permitting process for solar projects from 10 MW to 100 MW, aiming to reduce approval times by up to 70% and adjust criteria specific to such installations.
Colombia installed 1.6 GW of solar energy in 2024, bringing its total capacity to 1.87 GW.
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