Colombian energy company Ecopetrol has partnered with Total Eren to build a solar photovoltaic farm with nearly 100MWp of capacity in Colombia.

The Rubiales solar facility will be built in the municipality of Puerto Gaitan in Colombia’s Meta province.

Total EREN will develop, finance, build and operate the solar farm.

The company will hold a 51% stake in the Rubiales project, with the remaining 49% stake being owned by Ecopetrol.

Total Eren CEO David Corchia said: “We are delighted to start our cooperation with Ecopetrol to develop, build, finance and operate on their site the Rubiales solar farm, which will provide low-carbon electricity to their operation.

“Ecopetrol is a responsible energy player and the biggest company in Colombia.

“I am confident that our ambitious partnership will be fruitful and provide multiple environmental, economic and social benefits locally.”

The Rubiales solar farm will feature 180,000 monocrystalline bifacial panels and generate enough clean energy to meet the needs of 150,000 people in a day.

Construction works at the site are scheduled to begin in the first quarter of this year, with the solar facility expected to come online in the first quarter of next year.

Once it is operational, the clean energy it generates will be sold to Ecopetrol under a 17-year power purchase agreement (PPA).

The Rubiales project is intended to support Ecopetrol Group’s decarbonisation strategy and its efforts to expedite Colombia’s energy transition.

Ecopetrol Group president Felipe Bayón Pardo said: “We are pleased to partner with Total Eren, a company with extensive experience in the solar industry, to help us move forward with our commitment to accelerating the energy transition.

“Our goal is to incorporate 900MW by 2025 with renewable energies that help us face climate change.

“This is aligned with our aspiration to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.”