The Tepuy solar park, EPM’s first large-scale photovoltaic project, covers 320 hectares near the village of Santa Helena. The facility includes 199,534 bifacial photovoltaic panels, installed on 2,290 solar trackers and connected to 320 inverters. The project also dedicates 60 hectares to environmental protection and conservation.

EPM General Manager John Maya Salazar noted that Tepuy’s 83 megawatts of power generation capacity is sufficient to supply energy to a city of about 400,000 inhabitants. The project aims to enhance Colombia’s power generation capabilities while contributing to climate change mitigation by reducing approximately 33,000 tons of CO2 emissions annually.

The construction of the Tepuy park adhered to environmental regulations set by the Regional Autonomous Corporation of Caldas (Corpocaldas). The project included comprehensive environmental management efforts, such as rescuing and relocating 1,669 wildlife specimens to a reserve area within the park and protecting 874 flora species, including bromeliads and orchids, with a 97% survival rate.

Additionally, EPM and the SENA Caldas regional office implemented a training program for over 300 local residents, equipping them with skills in the installation of solar panels and related equipment, thereby enhancing employment opportunities in the area.

The Tepuy solar park is expected to operate for 35 years, contributing to Colombia’s renewable energy supply and supporting the country’s sustainability goals. The project was partially financed by the French Development Agency (AFD).

The press release from the company shows that the new contract will be the second contract that the company will have made with AFD; the first credit contract between the two was executed in 2012 and was worth $338 million. It was used to push EPM ’s expansion plans in the fields of generation, distribution and transmission of electricity and natural gas.

The new credit contract, which was authorized through resolution by the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit of Colombia, will help finance EPM ’s energy-efficiency programs, including research into the “production of photovoltaic energy” as well as improving distribution networks across the country, including a focus on rural areas.

AFD is planning on providing any necessary support to EPM with regards to the needs of its projects, including technical support and cooperation for their environmental initiatives, as well as “the strengthening of an action plan for the continuity of activities in closing gender equality gaps and the promotion of Non-Conventional Renewable Energies.”

The French Development Agency as a financial institution is well-known for its efforts to promote sustainable development and the improvement of general living conditions around the world.

“[This] is the second credit operation that we have granted to EPM, totaling more than 500 million dollars [and] destined to improve [their] water and energy infrastructures, their efficiency and productivity, to favor the population’s access to basic services and to strengthen the operation of one of the most important public companies in the country,” Frédéric Doré, the French ambassador to Colombia, said in a statement.

“[This] transaction demonstrates the support of international development banks in our Company, which is committed to transforming the lives of the community through the provision of public services, the development of the territories and environmental care,” EPM general manager Jorge Andrés Carrillo Cardoso said.