Colombia reports thermopower spike

Colombian fossil fuel-fired power generation rose sharply in December amid lower seasonal rainfall, new figures show. 

Electricity produced from natural gas, coal and oil-fired plants hit 31.86GWh/d, up from 23.0GWh/d a month earlier, wholesale market coordinator and grid operator XM said in a report. 

Meanwhile, renewable energy – including hydroelectric plants – accounted for 181.66GWh/d, down from 191.3GWh/d in November. 

XM said hydroelectric reservoir levels stood at 79% of their capacity at the end of December, down from 87% a month earlier. Hydropower output dipped to 176.68GWh/d from 187.83GWh/d. 

"It is a normal decrease for the summer season, which will last until March 2023 and for which no risks are foreseen in meeting demand," XM national dispatch manager Carlos Cano said. 

Average power generation in December remained stable compared to November at 214GWh/d. 

The biggest contributor of renewable energy – excluding hydropower – was biomass with 2.34GWh, followed by solar (2.126GWh) and wind (0.518GWh). 

In the non-renewables segment, locally sourced natural gas was the largest producer with 17.99GWh/d, followed by coal (13.35GWh/d), LNG (0.28GWh/d) and liquids (0.24GWh/d).

Electricity exports to Ecuador jumped to 181.01GWh/d in December from 132.4GWh/d in November while imports declined to 0.01GWh/d from 0.03GWh/d. 

More information, in Spanish, can be seen here.