Huila will soon add a new headline to its map: solar panels, lots of them. A massive project called Parque Solar Villavieja will be built in the municipality of Villavieja, turning a wide stretch of land into a power plant that runs on sunlight.
The plan is big enough to be noticed from far away. The solar park will take more than 230 hectares and will install 200 megawatts of capacity, placing it among the largest solar projects announced in Colombia.
A solar park with serious scale
The project will sit in the Hato Nuevo rural area of Villavieja, on land with an approved footprint of 286.73 hectares. It will come with an environmental license granted by ANLA, the national agency that checks if large projects meet environmental rules.
A 200 MW plant is not a rooftop setup. It will be a full industrial site, with rows of modules, inverters, internal roads, security, and a connection to the grid so that power can flow into Colombia’s electricity system.
The developer’s estimate is bold; the park will avoid about 1,750,367 tons of CO2 emissions. Even without getting lost in the math, the point is clear: The project is being framed as a clean-energy boost and a step toward a more diverse power mix.
Money, jobs, and timing for Parque Solar Villavieja
The investment will exceed US$150 million. For Huila, that is not just a number; it is outside capital arriving with contracts, services, and local spending.
Construction is expected to start in 2026 and finish by the end of 2027. In the building phase, the project will require significant labor, which should translate into jobs and extra business for local suppliers.
The deal has also been linked to foreign investment talks. The governor, Rodrigo Villalba Mosquera, met with executives from the Portuguese group CME Procme to advance project details, including finance and renewable-energy leadership roles inside the company.
Why Huila makes sense for solar
Solar is not random here. Research on photovoltaic planning in Colombia has pointed out that Huila has strong solar radiation and abundant sunlight, which makes it one of the regions with high solar potential.
That natural advantage matters because solar plants are simple machines. More sun hours usually mean more electricity for the same installed capacity, which improves project economics and helps the grid during sunny, high-demand periods.
There is also a national reason to spread bets. Colombia’s installed capacity has historically leaned on hydropower, with UPME data cited by a government analysis showing hydro at about 66% of installed capacity in 2023. Solar helps when rivers run low, and it can reduce pressure on water-dependent generation.
What Parque Solar Villavieja could change for Colombia
A project like this will not solve every energy challenge, but it will push the country’s solar footprint forward. Colombia has been adding solar fast, and one analysis estimated that solar and wind together reached around 9% of total installed electricity capacity in 2024, up from about 1.5% in 2022.
More large parks will also force better planning. Grid connections, land use, environmental checks, and community relations will matter as much as the panels themselves, because a solar plant only helps if it connects smoothly and operates reliably.
In daily life, the benefit is boring in the best way. If solar projects come online on time, households and businesses will feel it as a steadier system, less stress during dry seasons, and a clearer path to cleaner growth.
What to watch between 2026 and 2027
Parque Solar Villavieja will be a huge build, more than 230 hectares, 200 MW of capacity, and an investment of above US$150 million. If the schedule holds, Huila will watch construction begin in 2026 and finish in late 2027.
For Colombia, the story will be bigger than one site. The real win will be proving that clean-energy projects can move from meetings and permits to electricity on the grid, while creating local jobs and lowering emissions at the same time.