Data Center Power & Policy in Colombia

Grid access (1)

• Grid accessIn force6 Feb 2025

  CREG Resolution 101 070 of 2025: non-regulated users' connection assets may connect generation and demand to the SIN

  CREG replaced and widened the rules on the use of connection assets owned by non-regulated users (Usuarios No Regulados), so that these assets can be used to connect both generation and demand to the National Interconnected System (SIN). It creates embedded commercial borders (fronteras embebidas) behind a main border, lets the asset owner charge others for using connection assets to the STN, STR or SDL, and repeals CREG 122 of 2003 and CREG 084 of 2004. Relevant for large consumers such as data center campuses sharing a substation or connection line.

  Comisión de Regulación de Energía y Gas (CREG) · Effective 17 Feb 2025 · CREG – Resolución CREG 101 070 de 2025 (PDF)

Incentive (2)

• IncentiveIn force23 Dec 2016

  Decree 2147 of 2016: special permanent free trade zones (ZFPE) for services projects – investment and job thresholds

  Colombia's free trade zone regime (Decree 2147 of 2016) lets a single company be declared a special permanent free trade zone (zona franca permanente especial). Projects exclusively of services must, within three years of the declaration, reach one of three thresholds: investment above 10,000 and up to 46,000 monthly minimum wages (smmlv) with 500+ new direct formal jobs; above 46,000 and up to 92,000 smmlv with 350+ jobs; or above 92,000 smmlv with 150+ jobs. Goods projects need 150,000+ smmlv and 150 jobs.

  Ministerio de Comercio, Industria y Turismo (MinCIT) · MinCIT – Requisitos de inversión y empleo para Zonas Francas Permanentes Especiales

• IncentiveIn force13 May 2014

  Law 1715 of 2014 (as amended by Law 2099 of 2021): tax incentives for non-conventional renewable energy and efficient energy management

  Taxpayers who invest directly in non-conventional renewable energy (FNCE) generation or in efficient energy management may deduct 50% of the investment from taxable income over up to 15 years (Art. 11, amended by Law 2099 of 2021); equipment and services for such projects listed under the PROURE programme are excluded from VAT (Art. 12); and the activities may use accelerated depreciation (Art. 14). Investments must be certified by UPME. Applies to data center operators that build on-site or dedicated renewable generation or efficiency projects.

  50 % Income tax deduction of 50% of the investment, spread over no more than 15 years.

  Congress of Colombia (Ministerio de Minas y Energía / UPME certification) · Secretaría del Senado – Ley 1715 de 2014 (texto vigente)

Efficiency rule (1)

• Efficiency ruleIn force23 Feb 2026

  UPME Resolution 085 of 2026: SIN grid emission factor for 2024

  UPME updated the greenhouse gas emission factor of the National Interconnected System (SIN) for 2024. The factor for GHG inventories (used for Scope 2 reporting of grid electricity, including data centers) is 0.220 tCO2eq/MWh. Separate factors are set for mitigation/CDM projects: 0.660 for wind and solar, 0.607 (first crediting period) and 0.554 (second and third periods) for other projects.

  0.22 tCO2eq/MWh Inventory factor for 2024.

  Unidad de Planeación Minero Energética (UPME) · UPME – Resolución 000085 de 2026

Regulation (1)

• RegulationIn force17 Oct 2012

  Statutory Law 1581 of 2012: personal data protection and restriction on transfers to countries without adequate protection

  Colombia's general data protection law bans transfers of personal data of any kind to countries that do not provide adequate levels of data protection (Art. 26), with listed exceptions. The Superintendence of Industry and Commerce (SIC) supervises compliance. The rule shapes where operators and cloud providers host Colombian personal data and supports local data center demand.

  Congress of Colombia; supervised by Superintendencia de Industria y Comercio (SIC) · Effective 18 Oct 2012 · Secretaría del Senado – Ley Estatutaria 1581 de 2012

Plan or strategy (1)

• Plan or strategyIn force14 Feb 2025

  CONPES 4144 of 2025: National Artificial Intelligence Policy – strengthening technological and computing infrastructure

  The National Economic and Social Policy Council approved Colombia's National AI Policy on 14 February 2025, with 106 actions to 2030 and a budget of about COP 479,273 million. Action line 2.2 aims to strengthen technological infrastructure and the computing ecosystem for AI, after noting that earlier cloud rules (Presidential Directive 03 of 2021, Decree 1263 of 2022) did not address the state's computing capacity.

  Consejo Nacional de Política Económica y Social (CONPES) / Departamento Nacional de Planeación (DNP)