The growth in electricity demand and the volatility of the wholesale market are broadening the discussion about the role that battery storage can play in Colombia , both at the system scale and behind the meter.
During September, the National Interconnected System (SIN) reached a record high demand of 266.6 GWh/day , a figure that XM attributed to the high temperatures observed in the country. A month earlier, consumption had reached 7,696.79 GWh , 6.75% higher than in August 2025 , while the accumulated consumption for January-August grew 6.12% year-on-year .
The increase was not uniform across the different segments. In August, demand in the unregulated market, composed mainly of industry and commerce, fell 1.54% year-on-year , while residential and small business consumption increased 9.42%.
At the same time, the latest monthly market report published by XM placed the average wholesale price for August at COP 946.6/kWh , 18.7% higher than in July and 278.2% higher than in the same month of 2015. Retailers were exposed to the spot market on average by 14.2%.
The difference compared to contracts is significant. For the unregulated market, the weighted average price of energy dispatched through contracts was COP 329.7/kWh during the same month.
In that scenario, Enrique Garduño , CEO of Skysense, observes that some companies are beginning to evaluate storage for reasons that go beyond energy savings.
“We are no longer just talking about savings, but about operational continuity,” he stated during the Future Energy Summit (FES) Colombia 2026 .
Based on his experience with clients in the country, the executive identifies applications ranging from harnessing surplus solar energy to backing up critical processes: “Both generation and storage solutions are necessary, complementary, and indispensable for the industrial development of a country, and in this case, Colombia, without a doubt.”
Nearly 100 MW awarded and a much larger potential demand
BESS is also starting to gain ground within the Colombian electricity market.
The Clean Energy Procurement Auction closed in July with the awarding of 995 MW of solar generation and nearly 100 MW of battery storage systems . The products awarded under this mechanism are subject to long-term contracts of up to 15 years, with obligations beginning in 2030.
During the first day, the Ministry of Mines and Energy indicated that the approximately 100 MW of batteries , then associated with 270 MW of solar power, would represent a 1000% increase over the existing storage capacity .
But one of the most relevant pieces of information emerged at the close of the process: the agents expressed their intention to contract more than 15,400 MWh/day in battery systems , a sign of interest considerably higher than the volume finally awarded and which the Government itself linked to the possibility of promoting new storage calls.
The regulatory framework also progressed. Resolution CREG 101 113 of 2026 established in June the rules applicable to the installation, operation and commercial aspects of Battery Electrical Energy Storage Systems (SAEB) in the SIN.
More recently, on September 22 , XM published the optimization model for scheduling SAEBs as network assets, in compliance with that regulation.
From savings to operational continuity
Behind the meter, batteries operate according to a different logic. Garduño identifies applications such as storage of excess solar energy, peak shaving, uninterrupted backup, fast response, and reactive power compensation .
"Customers are increasingly interested in and require more sophisticated solutions, and I believe this will only increase in the coming years."
An example already in operation can be found at El Dorado International Airport , where a 7.7 MWh BESS integrated with solar generation has been implemented. The system allows for the storage of photovoltaic production and its use, among other functions, to strengthen the continuity of the terminal's operations.
The case summarizes one of the changes that is beginning to be observed in the commercial and industrial segment: the battery is no longer evaluated solely for energy arbitrage or the reduction of the bill and adds value as a tool for resilience and support of critical processes .
Thus, Colombia is beginning to develop two markets in parallel. On the one hand, there are system-wide energy storage solutions (ASSDs) , now backed by specific regulations and the first long-term contracts. On the other hand, there are behind-the-meter solutions aimed at consumers seeking to manage their own generation, improve the quality of supply, and protect their operations against outages.
With demand from the SIN at record levels, high spot prices, and more than 15,400 MWh/day of interest expressed by batteries in the last auction , storage is beginning to acquire a broader role within the Colombian energy strategy.