Termoguajira power station
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Termoguajira power station (Central Térmica Termoguajira) is an operating power station of at least 275-megawatts (MW) in Dibulla, la Guajira, Colombia. It is also known as TG1 and TG2.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Termoguajira power station | Dibulla, Dibulla, la Guajira, Colombia | 11.262213, -73.415568 (exact)[1] |
Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):
- Unit 1, Unit 2: 11.262213, -73.415568
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology | Start year | Retired year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | Operating[2] | coal: bituminous, fossil gas: natural gas[3] | 145[4][2] | subcritical | 1983[4] | 2037 (planned)[3] |
| Unit 2 | Operating[2] | coal: bituminous, fossil gas: natural gas[3] | 130[4][2] | subcritical | 1987[4] | 2037 (planned)[3] |
Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details
| Unit name | Operator | Owner | Parent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | Gecelca[3] | Gecelca SA ESP [100%][3] | Gecelca SA ESP [100.0%] |
| Unit 2 | Gecelca[3] | Gecelca SA ESP [100%][3] | Gecelca SA ESP [100.0%] |
Ownership Tree
This ownership tree is part of the Global Energy Ownership Tracker, a project of Global Energy Monitor.
Background
The plant is owned and operated by Colombian public utility company Gecelca S.A. and consists of two units using Mitsubishi steam turbines[5], with respective capacities of 145 MW and 130 MW[6][7], for a total net capacity of 275 MW.[7] The first and second units began operations in 1983 and 1987, respectively.[8] The coal used to fuel the plant reportedly comes from mines in Puerto Libertador, Córdoba department.[9] The plant's turbines are also capable of burning fossil gas as a backup fuel.[5]
Operations and Maintenance
In 2024, Termoguajira generated 1,653.12 GWh, including 912.03 GWh from Unit 1 and 741.09 GWh from Unit 2. The inspection report stated that Unit 1 had a scheduled major maintenance outage from June 10 to July 9, 2024, while Unit 2 had two scheduled maintenance outages, from May 10 to 17 and from September 4 to October 8, 2024, as well as an emergency outage from May 25 to 26, 2024.[10]
Impact on Environment
A media report from May 2025 emphasized the significant negative impact of the plant's operations by releasing toxic gases, such as sulfur dioxide and particulate matter, which affect the health of crops and animals. Pollution has had serious effects on the health of local residents, including respiratory problems (43.8% of cases), cardiovascular problems (27.5%), and cancer (12.5%). According to the former official of Gecela, "the main pollutants emitted are carbon particles (74.2%), sulfur dioxide (21.1%), and heavy metals such as mercury (4.7%) and arsenic (1.9%). Pollution has also affected local biodiversity, especially in aquatic ecosystems.[11]
Planned conversion from coal to renewable fuel
In July 2023, Colombia's Minister of Mines and Energy Irene Vélez announced that Termoguajira would be the first Colombian coal plant to fully decarbonize its energy production. Plans called for the plant to adopt renewable technologies including solar panels and energy storage, though many other details remained unclear, including the proposed timeline for the plant's conversion.[12][13][14]
The 2023 Sustainability Report of Colombia's National Association of Generating Companies (ANDEG) published in 2024 also indicated that the Termoguajira power station would transition to 100% carbon-free electricity generation by way of a new solar plant and battery energy storage system.[15]
Gecelca's 2024 annual report directly addressed Termoguajira's planned transition from coal to solar generation, noting that the company was already engaged in technical and financial evaluation of generation facilities and connection lines, communication with the relevant environmental authorities, preliminary appraisal of potential land parcels, and initial negotiations with landowners.[7]
The 2025 inspection report stated that Gecelca's projected 2026-2029 capital expenditure included two Termoguajira solar stages: Etapa 1 TEG, with 150 MW and planned entry into operation on January 1, 2028, and Etapa 2 TEG, with 152 MW and planned entry into operation on December 1, 2029. The report stated that the two Termoguajira stages consisted of dismantling the Guajira 1 and Guajira 2 units to convert them into photovoltaic generation fields.[16]
Gecelca Solar
In December 2025 the Colombian government announced the creation of Gecelca Solar, a new solar-focused subdivision of the company that owns and operates Termoguajira.[17][18] Initial plans called for Gecelca Solar to develop a 650 MW portfolio of large-scale solar projects, including an unnamed 200 MW solar farm on the Caribbean coast.[17][18] The government described the creation of Gecelca Solar as a key step in Gecelca's transition from coal to cleaner fuels; however, it did not specifically mention retirement or transition plans for the Termoguajira power station.[17][18]
In February 2026, Gecelca Solar announced its first specific project: a 200 MW solar plant in the Caribbean region, with an investment of approximately US$200 million, expected to benefit around 150,000 families. The project formed part of Gecelca Solar's broader 650 MW portfolio. No specific connection to the Termoguajira site was mentioned in the announcement.[19]
Proposed decommissioning date
Recent documents, including Gecelca's interim financial statements from March 2023-2024[20] and the company's 2024 annual report[7], have reported that Gecelca plans to decommission its Termoguajira power station by 2037.
However, various government sources imply that the plant could be retired earlier. Gecelca is owned 99.99% by the Colombian government[21], which has indicated that retirement of Termoguajira a public policy priority. A 2023 report published by Colombia's Ministry of Mines and Energy specifically stated that Termoguajira will be the first Colombian coal plant to transition to 100% carbon-free electricity generation.[22] Colombia's 2025-2039 Generation Expansion Plan proposes retirement of Termoguajira as early as December 2028[23], and Colombia's independent system operator XM shows that the plant has no firm energy obligations (Obligaciones de Energía Firme) for 2027-2028.[24]
Energy transition legislation
According to Colombia's Legislative Decree 1276 of (July) 2023, which adopted several energy transition measures, the Termoguajira power station would begin its transition to renewable energy between 2024 and 2028.[25] While both of the power station's units' "Firm Energy Obligations" (Obligaciónes de Energía en Firme) were set to end in 2025, official retirement dates had not been established as of January 2024.[26]
In November 2023, the Colombian constitutional court declared the Legislative Degree 1276 of 2023 unenforceable, including its articles which dictated Termoguajira's state-financed transition to renewable energy sources.[27]
Environmental risk management
The 2025 inspection report stated that Termoguajira's environmental management processes, including water and air quality monitoring, had ISO 14001:2015 certification in force.[28]
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ https://maps.app.goo.gl/Z79QxPjCiEbo25xSA.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 https://gecelca.com.co/en/unidades-de-negocio/generacion-2/.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 (PDF) https://s3.gecelca.com.co/shared/webgecelca3/conocenos/gestion%20entrategica/GECELCA_REPORTE%20INTEGRADO%202024%20_VF.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 https://paratec.xm.com.co/reportes/capacidad-efectiva-neta-tipo-generacion.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Generación". Gecelca, S.A. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Generation". Gecelca. Retrieved 2026-01-12.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 "Reporte Integrado de Gestión 2024 (pp 4, 7, 50, 187)" (PDF). Gecelca. 2025-02-28.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Gecelca". ANDEG (Asociación Nacional de Empresas Generadoras). Retrieved June 9, 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Salió de servicio Termoguajira Dos". Caracol Radio. March 17, 2016.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Informe de inspección detallada Generadora y Comercializadora de Energía del Caribe 2025" (PDF). Superintendencia de Servicios Públicos Domiciliarios. December 2025. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Contaminación de Termoguajira y Puerto Brisa profundiza crisis ambiental y social en Mingueo, La Guajira". www.desdeadentroprensa.com. May 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Termoguajira, primera central que transitará a energía descarbonizada". Portafolio. July 1, 2023.
- ↑ "Ministerio de Minas anunció que Termoguajira transitará hacia la generación de energía descarbonizad". Infobae. July 3, 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "En Colombia, anuncian que la central Termoguajira pasará de termoeléctrica a renovable". PV Magazine. July 3, 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Séptimo Informe de Sostenibilidad, ANDEG, 2024
- ↑ "Informe de inspección detallada Generadora y Comercializadora de Energía del Caribe 2025" (PDF). Superintendencia de Servicios Públicos Domiciliarios. December 2025. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 "Gobierno nacional anuncia la creación de Gecelca Solar, el nuevo motor de la transición energética que transformará la Costa Caribe". Ministerio de Minas y Energía. 2025-12-05.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 "Colombia launches solar PV arm, targets 650MW portfolio". PV Tech. 2025-12-08. Retrieved 2026-01-16.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Gecelca construirá en la región Caribe planta solar con capacidad de 200 megavatios". El Norte. February 12, 2026. Retrieved May 2026.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|access-date=(help)CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Estados Financieros Separados Intermedios por los periodos terminados el 31 de Marzo de 2024 y 2023, GECELCA S.A. E.S.P., June 2024
- ↑ "Estados financieros Consolidados por los años que terminaron el 31 de diciembre de 2024 y 2023 (p 10)" (PDF). Generadora y Comercializadora de Energía del Caribe S.A. E.S.P. – Gecelca S.A. E.S.P. y Compañía Subordinada. 2025-02-28.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Memorias al Congreso (p 37)" (PDF). Ministerio de Minas y Energía. 2023-08-08.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Plan Indicativo de Expansión de la Generación 2025-2039 (p 103)" (PDF). UPME (Unidad de Planeación Minero Energética). 2025-12-18.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Cuarta Subasta de Energía Firme 2027-2028: Resultados subasta cargo por confiabilidad". XM Colombia. Retrieved 2026-01-23.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Decreto 1276 de 2023 Nivel Nacional, Secretaría Jurídica Distrital, Bogotá, July 31, 2023
- ↑ Colombia tiene las condiciones para una transición del sector eléctrico planeada y progresiva más allá del carbón, POLEN Transiciones Justas, August 2023
- ↑ Comunicado de Prensa No. 43 del 1 y 2 de noviembre de 2023, Corte Constitucional, November 9, 2023
- ↑ "Informe de inspección detallada Generadora y Comercializadora de Energía del Caribe 2025" (PDF). Superintendencia de Servicios Públicos Domiciliarios. December 2025. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
Additional data
To access additional data, including an interactive map of coal-fired power stations, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.
