Located in the centre of the country, the Villanueva biomass power plant will contribute to address the growing electricity demand with competitive renewable energy.
With an installed capacity of up to 30 MW, it is the largest biomass plant in Colombia.
The power plant will provide more than 200 GWh of renewable and firm energy each year to the Colombian electrical grid. Fuelled with wood and generating the equivalent of electricity consumption of 60,000 colombian households, more than three times the population of Villanueva city, it will contribute to a potential reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) of 70,000 tons of CO2 per year.
To ensure positive benefits for local communities during the construction phase, a dedicated program was set up to train local employees for welding skills. Up to 90% of the unskilled workforce employed on the site during the construction came from Villanueva. During the exploitation phase, half of the workers has been hired locally.
EDF power solutions and Refocosta also developed the Cosecha de Agua project via Refoenergy Villanueva that brings substantial benefits to local communities. This project aims at building water collection points to store water in the wet season so that it can be used during the dry season, thus preserving groundwater natural reserves.
The biomass power plant sources its fuel from sustainably managed eucalyptus plantations specifically grown locally for this project. Around 40 jobs have been created to ensure the growth and transportation of the eucalyptus.
Present in the country since 2020, EDF power solutions Colombia has been developing a pipeline of 2 GW of renewable energy projects, including hydro, solar, wind and biomass. Refoenergy Villanueva is the first power plant entering into operation.
Jean-François Lebrun, CEO of EDF power solutions Colombia, about the Refoenergy Villanueva plant: « Villanueva is our first operational power plant in Colombia and is the result of a long development effort. All along the construction phase, our teams managed the project with rigor and high professionalism. I am very proud of the work accomplished together and EDF power solutions is proud to contribute to strengthen the Colombian grid performance with low-carbon electricity. »
Carlos Andrès Lopez President of Refocosta, about the commissioning: « The commissioning of the Villanueva power plant marks the culmination of many years of dedication and sacrifice by key individuals at Refocosta. Joined by the outstanding team of EDF Power Solution in recent years, they have together achieved a milestone in the history of electricity generation in Colombia”.