Colombia Delays Dam Repairs to Avert El Niño Blackouts in Its Capital
Colombia's grid operator warned that two hydroelectric plants serving Bogotá would be offline together in the driest El Niño months. The government says Enel will now delay work at El Guavio so it no longer overlaps AES's Chivor II overhaul. The post Colombia Delays Dam Repairs to Avert El Niño Blackouts in Its Capital appeared first on The Rio Times .
Colombia has reached an agreement with two foreign-owned power companies to avoid blackouts during the upcoming El Niño season in the capital city of Bogota. The agreement involves delaying maintenance work at two hydroelectric plants to prevent overlapping outages. Specifically, Enel Colombia will postpone major maintenance at its El Guavio hydroelectric plant, while AES Colombia will delay part of the overhaul at its Chivor plant.
The plants are located in the mountains east of Bogota. Enel Colombia operates El Guavio, while AES Colombia operates Chivor. Both plants can produce significant amounts of hydroelectric power, with El Guavio contributing about 14 percent of Colombia's daily power demand. The El Niño weather pattern is expected to bring drought conditions to Colombia, reducing reservoir levels and hydropower generation.
The Ministry of Mines and Energy authorized the change as a "voluntary, exceptional" measure, limiting the delay to the most critical months. The agreement aims to ensure that Bogota's power supply remains stable during the dry season, when the risk of blackouts is highest.
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