A new concession is assigned to Grupo Ortiz in Colombia.

• Energy concession. On the back of three highway infrastructure concessions and one healthcare concession, this will be Grupo Ortiz’s fifth concession in Colombia.

• Two new substations, extension of six others and over 20 km of power lines.

The “Energía de Colombia” Consortium, headed up by Grupo Ortiz has been awarded the electricity grid improvement contract in the Atlántico Department, Barranquilla.

Adjudication of this contract, awarded by “Unidad de Planeamiento Minero Energética” (UPME) covers the supply of equipment, civil works, assembly, testing and commissioning, and also administration, operation and maintenance for 25 years, accounting for an investment of around 470,000 million Pesos.

Work on overhauling and extending six existing electricity substations will be carried out, five of them featuring GIS technology (Gas Insulated Switchgear) and one conventional, and also construction of two new 110 kV GIS substations “Estadio” and “Magdalena”.

The project also includes 24 km of new power lines. This work is to be completed before 30th October 2023 when it is scheduled to be operating.

This improvement package, adjudicated within the framework of Plan 5 Caribe, aims to cater for the growing energy requirements in the new residential and commercial districts of Barranquilla, the city with the fourth highest population in Colombia, and also to eliminate voltage and fluctuation problems and to reduce restrictions.

This energy infrastructure concession is the fifth concession secured by Grupo Ortiz in Colombia, on the back of the three highway infrastructures: “Conexión Norte”, “Transversal del Sisga” and “Ruta del Caribe”, and the newly adjudicated healthcare centre.