Weather & Science
Historic Drought Upends Colombia’s Push to Quit Fossil Fuels
- Natural gas, coal-fired plants are meeting 40% of power needs
- Hydropower usually produces close to 70% of energy in Colombia
Water flows out of the Hidroituango hydroelectric dam in Ituango, Colombia.
Photographer: Esteban Vanegas/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Dry weather is forcing Colombia, which has one of the world’s most aggressive climate plans, to burn more fossil fuel.
Colombia’s electrical system is vulnerable to drought because roughly two-thirds of the nation’s power comes from hydro. But after months of parched conditions, the Andean nation’s energy regulator last month called upon fossil fuel-powered plants to boost output in an effort to conserve shrinking water reservoirs.