Colombia’s operational solar capacity reached 2,590.26 MW at the end of September 2026, accounting for 11.7% of the net effective capacity of the National Interconnected System (SIN), according to the latest report from Colombian grid operator XM.

A total of 39 solar projects, with a combined capacity of 607.32 MW, began commercial operations in the third quarter of 2026. Solar accounted for 87% of the new generation capacity added between July and September.

The figures mark a significant increase from the end of 2025, when Colombia had 1,594.08 MW of operational solar capacity, representing 7.6% of the country’s total generation capacity.

In the first nine months of 2026, operational solar capacity increased by 996.18 MW, or 62.5%, while solar’s share of total generation capacity rose by 4.1 percentage points.

Colombia added 42 power generation projects with a combined capacity of 698.2 MW in the third quarter. They included 39 solar projects, two thermal power plants totaling 81 MW, and one small hydropower plant with a capacity of 9.9 MW.

XM said the additions included distributed generation facilities, self-consumption systems, and utility-scale power plants. Three of the utility-scale projects are subject to centralized dispatch.

One of the largest additions was the Puerta de Oro solar plant, which began commercial operations in July. Developed by Patria Investments, the project has an installed capacity of 360 MW.

The plant features more than 511,000 solar modules and is expected to generate more than 700 GWh of electricity annually. It accounted for nearly half of the solar capacity added to Colombia’s electricity system in the third quarter.

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