Martín Pinzón Lemos
Juan Diego Gómez, CEO of SunCompany, outlined the company’s expansion strategy and highlighted plans to develop a solar complex combined with battery storage.
SunCompany plans to build a new energy complex in Inírida. According to Juan Diego Gómez, CEO of the company, the goal is to improve the efficiency and sustainability of electricity supply in this non-interconnected region.
In addition, the company aims to develop new generation projects across several Caribbean countries, with a planned investment of nearly USD 300 million to deploy up to 260 MW of photovoltaic capacity.
What will the energy complex look like?
“We are going to build the largest hybrid solar project in Colombia, located in Inírida. It will include a 10 MW solar array and 20 MW of battery storage—specifically, 9.2 MW of solar capacity. Construction is already underway, and the government will officially announce the project, as it will be the largest energy storage initiative in the region. The main objective of this integration is to improve the efficiency and sustainability of the electricity supply.”
The construction of the plant is expected to generate approximately 100 local jobs.
Will the project deliver energy to the National Interconnected System?
“This is a remote area that is not connected to the national grid. We expect the project to reach full capacity in the third quarter of 2026.”
Are there plans to expand the portfolio with additional projects?
“There are 267 MW planned for 2027 and 2028, with investments of close to USD 300 million, mainly in Caribbean islands, the Dominican Republic, and Guyana. Although Guyana is not technically part of the Caribbean, it is a very important market for us.”
The strategy is to combine solar plants with battery storage systems.
When do you expect to achieve profitability on these investments?
“These types of energy investments are medium- to long-term concessions, typically with a payback period of five to seven years. After that, the project enters a profitability phase. Growth is financed through a structure known as Project Finance, which combines a portion of equity with a larger portion of debt.
In practical terms, a financial institution owns the asset until construction is completed. During the first five years, returns go primarily to the financial institution, and during the following five years to the developer. Returns on this type of asset are typically above 15%.”
What portion will be debt and what portion equity?
“The structure will be 20% equity and 80% debt, with equity investment ranging between USD 20 million and USD 40 million.”
As a holding today, what assets are part of the structure?
“In 2017, we invested in pay-as-you-go technologies, and in 2020 we invested in a turbine patent. With this new transition, our goal as a holding is to consolidate all these companies—not only under a single brand, but also by expanding into additional countries.”
Which companies make up the holding?
- SunColombia, a benchmark in energy project engineering and construction
- Dispower, an operator of energy solutions for non-interconnected zones
- SunCompany International, the group’s Caribbean expansion arm
- Sunwa Technologies, a research and development center focused on clean technologies
Why focus primarily on dollarized countries?
“Strategically, one of our objectives is to achieve a strong revenue mix denominated in U.S. dollars in order to scale the business. The main reason is that green financing is available almost exclusively in dollars. A company that is indebted in dollars but generates revenue in local currency faces significant challenges.”
Enlace noticia: https://www.larepublica.co/empresas/entrevista-a-juan-diego-gomez-ceo-de-suncompany-4218442
Autor: La Republica