Portón del Sol photovoltaic solar farm
The project as a whole consists of two parts: The park, where the photovoltaic energy will be generated, and a transmission line for this energy to the existing electrical substation in Purnio, in the municipality of La Dorada - Caldas, Colombia.
The park has an approximate area of 216 Ha, a generation capacity of 129 MWp (102MWac) and STN = 230 kV.
The 230 kV power transmission line starts at the Portón del Sol Photovoltaic Park and connects to the existing substation in Purnio, with a capacity of 129 MWp. It will have a length of 0.9 km and four towers.
Construction will take approximately one and a half years from October 2022.
The Portón del Sol Solar Farm project, through its plans for environmental management, is implementing programmes to manage the components of the abiotic, biotic and socioeconomic environments in the area of influence of the project and the 230 kV power transmission line.
These environmental management programmes are a comprehensive set of actions and/or measures and activities which, following an environmental assessment, are aimed at preventing, mitigating, correcting and compensating the duly-identified environmental impacts, which may be caused by the development of a project, work or activity, as well as promoting awareness and information campaigns which make it possible to establish environmental awareness and self-care among the staff involved in the project.
The perspective of the abiotic environment is the basis for the management of emissions control, geotechnical conservation and handling of the land component, construction materials, liquid and solid waste and road safety.
As regards the biotic environment, management and monitoring are conducted of forestry use, environmental management of protected species, a programme for the ecological rehabilitation of the growth habitat of non-vascular epiphytes and a programme to manage wild fauna and prevent the collision of birds with power lines.
In relation to the socioeconomic environment, the project promotes a programme on community information and participation, which defines and maintains information and communication channels with the communities, local authorities and institutions, among others, in the area of influence, to facilitate relationships and minimise conflicts and expectations regarding the project. The relationship with the community in the ‘veredas’ (small administrative divisions in Colombia) in the area of influence (Purnio and Santa Helena) and the local authorities, is facilitated by paying due attention to their concerns regarding the execution of the project, during its different stages.
The Portón del Sol Solar Farm project, through its social and environmental team, along with the representatives from the areas of influence and the council, handles the hiring of skilled and unskilled workers, promoting the integration of the community into the project, as well as the training of workers involved in environmental issues which match the needs identified in the region, in terms of the management of natural resources and the commitments undertaken by Portón del Sol.
