Ecopetrol becomes an example for the oil sector and for the country

About the partnership

Ecopetrol, the state oil company in Colombia and the largest in the country, is joining forces with AES in order to achieve its goals of sustainability and integration of non-conventional renewable energy into its energy supply portfolio. This project would be the largest in Colombia and would become an example of confidence for industry and national commerce.

Castilla Solar: an example of innovation

As part of its long-term sustainability strategy and in the search to be able to integrate non-conventional renewable energy that would allow it to reduce its carbon footprint in addition to the costs of grid energy, Ecopetrol carried out a tender in order to find the perfect ally for contracting energy for 15 years, energy that will include the construction of a solar park in the department of Meta, near one of the largest oil fields in Colombia: Castilla 3.

AES Colombia won the tender through a strategy that combined state-of-the-art technology, affordable energy prices, and a construction proposal that included differentials such as the hiring of local female labor and record assembly time.

A differential solution

Castilla Solar was a project conceived to be an example for the oil and gas industry in Colombia and for the industry and commerce in general. In this way, the park became proof that self-generation solutions are profitable and completely viable for customers in the country.

With 21 MW of installed capacity, Castilla Solar would allow Ecopetrol to save more than 30% in grid energy consumption costs and a reduction of 154,000 Tons of CO2 during the 15-year contract, a figure equivalent to the planting of 16,200 trees.

A project with a social focus

In addition to the environmental benefits, this project included a gender perspective, employing more than 100 women in the construction of the project. This element is decisive in an oil & gas environment where the job offer for women is very low or almost unexistent. 29% of the labor force employed were women, of which a large percentage were mothers in charge of their households and first jobs.

Castilla Solar marked a milestone and became an example for the country on the possibility of employing more women for the construction and operation of new renewable energy projects.