A leader of Colombia’s energy transition

February 4, 2025

Carolina Calderon, leader of the energies and chemicals segment for Schneider Electric in South America, talks to The Energy Year about the current trends in Colombia’s energy sector and how the company is positioning itself to address those trends. Schneider Electric is a global provider of energy management and automation solutions.

How would you describe the current trends in the energy sector in Colombia?
In Colombia, the energy sector is focusing on digitalisation, decarbonisation and sustainability.
In comparison to other industries, the energy sector has remained largely stagnant over the past few decades, while other industries have been completely disrupted by innovative technologies. We are entering a period of change as the energy sector starts to play catch up and embraces digital transformation. Energy transition is where this will be most evident.
Energy transition refers to the structural shift of production and consumption of energy by fossil fuel-based systems to renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, hydro and hydrogen. Some people will include lithium ion batteries in renewables, which is debatable, but electric vehicles are playing a big role in energy transition. Several oil and gas firms, for example, have announced intentions to become carbon neutral.
Software, data and IoT will also see development in the industry. In two decades, the traditional power grid, invented more than 150 years ago, will become obsolete, as distributed energy and micro-grids become mainstream. These grids will not be possible without data, and data requires software. Companies are starting to seriously think about upgrading their software and data capabilities to prepare for the smart energy future.

 

How is Schneider Electric positioning itself to take part in these trends?
Schneider Electric is taking part in these trends by emphasising digitalisation and decarbonisation. The company has been named the world’s most sustainable company in 2024 by Time and Statista and encapsulates its approach to sustainability as “being digital and being electric.”
Schneider Electric, leads by example on the sustainability front. We help our customers understand their carbon footprint, collect data from all direct and indirect sources, evaluate their impact and report information in accepted compliance formats.
In the oil and gas industry, Schneider helps refine 30% of the world’s crude oil and helps with 80% of the onshore production and operation markets. Schneider uses its 25-plus years of proven experience to drive innovation, delivering connected products and enterprise-level solutions that serve as the foundation for smarter operations, increased safety and optimised production.
We have a strategic partnership with AVEVA, utilising AVEVA Predictive to monitor assets with AI. This technology helps us anticipate potential failures and detect any unscheduled outages. Thanks to these kinds of innovations, we have positioned ourselves as the digital partner for sustainability and efficiency, with a complete end-to-end solutions portfolio.
Furthermore, we have ambitious sustainability targets. We are aiming to be carbon neutral in our operations by 2025, have 25% of our production chain carbon neutral by 2030, achieve net-zero emissions by 2040 and be carbon zero in the entire chain by 2050. For the last 12 years, Schneider Electric has been recognised by Corporate Knights as one of the most sustainable companies globally.

Can you tell us about the company’s manufacturing operations in Colombia?
We operate two plants in Colombia, underscoring our commitment to the country as a strategic hub in the region. One plant, Dexson, is located in Bogotá. The other one, ETO, is situated in Funza, on the outskirts of Bogotá.
This plant has achieved the zero-CO2 standard, marking a significant step for Colombia and the region in reducing emissions across the whole value chain. Furthermore, it is an engineering-to-order facility, primarily serving the energy and chemical segments. It produces solutions such as BlokSeTs and medium-voltage switchgears for the Andean cluster, including Colombia and Ecuador.
The plant boasts a capacity of over 550,000 hours per year and employs local talent. This makes Colombia the most representative country for Schneider Electric in the South American region, even surpassing Brazil in importance.

What is EcoStruxure Power and Process, and how does it benefit Schneider Electric’s clients?
EcoStruxure Power and Process is Schneider Electric’s flagship offering that integrates energy management, automation systems and software. It stands out as a key differentiator within the industry by providing a digital approach to operations (for an optimised design, efficient operations and enhanced business intelligence).
This solution can potentially reduce capital expenditures by up to 20%, improve efficiency by 15% and increase profitability by 3%. While these figures are estimates, they highlight the significant impact EcoStruxure Power and Process can have on a client’s operations.
Designed with flexibility in mind, the system allows clients to expand its scope as their facilities grow. It can cover various aspects of operations, from supply-chain management to production and transportation. Additionally, EcoStruxure Power and Process aligns with our focus on renewables, green hydrogen, carbon capture, electrification and digitalisation, making it a comprehensive solution for companies looking to modernise and decarbonise their operations.

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• Brazil
• Colombia