Colombia's ANLA optimizes evaluation processes for renewable energies

This press release from Colombia's National Authority of Environmental Licenses was published using an automatic translation system.

The National Authority of Environmental Licenses (ANLA) has optimized the evaluation processes of projects that use non-conventional sources of energy (FNCE) in order that these initiatives enrich the country's energy matrix as established by the law created to motivate the implementation of this type of proposals.

This was explained by the Deputy Director of Instruments, Permits and Environmental Procedures of the ANLA, Margit Solarte, during a presentation at the conference 'Renpower Colombia' which brought together institutions and companies dedicated to renewable energy and electrical infrastructure.

The deputy director made a comparison between Decrees 2820 of 2010 and 1076 of 2015 to show how some procedures that apply to the initiatives that use Non-Conventional Energy Sources are reduced in time.

For example, the number of days for the issuance of concepts by the ANLA are reduced by between 50 and 100 percent in the case of the environmental diagnosis assessment of alternatives and the starting cars, respectively (see table).

Reduction of environmental licensing times. Comparative Decrees 2820 of 2010 and 1076 of 2015.
Decree 2820 of 2010	Decree 1076 of 2015
Need for Environmental Diagnosis of Alternatives (15 days)	Need for Environmental Diagnosis of Alternatives (15 days)
Start-up car (5 days)	Auto start (immediate)
Evaluation of Environmental Diagnosis of Alternatives (30 days)	Evaluation of Environmental Diagnosis of Alternatives (15 days)
Evaluation of Environmental Impact Study (145 days)	Evaluation of Environmental Impact Study (70 days)
Start-up car (5 days)	Auto start (immediate)
Modification of Environmental License (60 days)	Modification of Environmental License (50 days)
Start-up car (5 days)	Auto start (immediate)

The deputy director Solarte made reference to the law 1715 of 2014 whose objective is to promote the development and use of FNCE, mainly those of a renewable nature in the national energy system in order to achieve the following objectives:

The sustainable economic development.

The reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

The security of energy supply.

On this last point, Solarte recalled that it is in the interest of the Government of Colombia to increase the use of FNCE and that a transition of the country's energy matrix towards these sources must be made progressively.

He also emphasized that these projects generate impacts on the environment and that is why the work of authorities such as ANLA is fundamental, which through licensing seeks to protect the ecosystems that impact the projects because they force their holders to prevent, mitigate, correct and manage the environmental effects produced by the works.

The deputy director recalled that the ANLA also contributes to the certification to access tax incentives for the use of FNCE, such as the exclusion of VAT and the deduction of income.

In his presentation he also stressed that the ANLA has issued 29 pronouncements on the need to present environmental diagnosis of alternatives for the production of clean energies discriminated in 12 photovoltaic, 16 wind and one solid waste projects.

Most of the projects are located in the department of La Guajira, whose geographical conditions lend themselves to the development of these projects.

In the process of evaluation to obtain an environmental license by the ANLA, there are two projects, one in Cesar and the other in La Guajira.