Advancing the decarbonization of cities and the development of sustainable and efficient cooling systems in the country, the Global Energy Districts Programme – GEDP Colombia has announced that E2 Energía Eficiente and Hotel Las Américas in Cartagena have been selected as the winners of the national call to develop the country’s first demonstration project integrating renewable energy into an Energy District. The project is expected to become operational by mid-2027.
A total of four companies submitted projects to the call, launched by GEDP Colombia in March this year as part of the programme’s Phase 3. The main objective was to identify a project capable of demonstrating the technical, environmental, and economic feasibility of incorporating renewable energy sources into existing Energy Districts or those soon to become operational, while contributing to the decarbonization of cooling systems and promoting new models of sustainable energy services.
The winning project will receive financial support for the procurement and contracting of specialized goods and services required for the implementation of the Energy District. It will also receive technical and institutional support from GEDP Colombia throughout all stages of implementation, including ongoing project monitoring and coordination with national and international stakeholders. This support aims to ensure successful implementation and establish the project as a demonstration case that can further encourage the adoption of similar solutions across Colombia.
“We continue to work to promote the Energy Districts market in Colombia, particularly through this call, which sought to integrate renewable energy and further contribute to the country’s energy transition. For the selection of the winning project, our evaluation committee assessed technical, environmental, economic, and innovation criteria, as well as each proposal’s potential for emissions reductions, energy efficiency, and renewable energy integration. The project submitted by E2 Energía Eficiente and Hotel Las Américas achieved the strongest overall performance,” said Angélica Antolínez, National Coordinator of GEDP Colombia.
E2 Energía Eficiente will begin construction of the Hotel Las Américas Energy District in the second half of 2026, with full operations expected between May and July 2027. The Energy District will have a capacity of up to 550 refrigeration tons (RT), will integrate solar energy as one of its primary energy sources, and is expected to reduce emissions by approximately 312 tonnes of CO₂ per year. The project is initially planned to operate for up to 30 years.