Gecelca

What Gecelca does

GECELCA S.A. E.S.P. (Generadora y Comercializadora de Energía del Caribe) is a Colombian state-owned electricity generator and commercializer, and the second-largest coal-fired electricity producer in Colombia. It operates four thermal generation units across two plants — Termoguajira in Dibulla (La Guajira) and Gecelca 3 in Puerto Libertador (Córdoba) — providing 709 MW of net effective capacity (including 121 MW of excess energy from autogenerators) to Colombia's National Interconnected System (SIN). The company supplies approximately 15% of national electricity demand and 26% of Caribbean regional demand, and it owns and operates the Las Palmeras open-pit coal mine, which vertically secures fuel supply for Gecelca 3.

The company's core technology is dispatchable thermal generation fueled primarily by coal, supplemented by natural gas market participation and a new renewable-energy subsidiary (GECELCA Solar) developing utility-scale solar projects beginning with a 200 MW installation in the Caribbean region. Assets include the Termoguajira and Gecelca 3 thermal plants, the Las Palmeras mine, and the nascent solar portfolio, with US$420 million historically invested in Gecelca 3 alone. Management operates under CREG regulatory oversight with reliability charge (Cargo por Confiabilidad) participation, and the company is governed by a Board of Directors reporting to the Government of Colombia as parent owner.

GECELCA's revenue model combines electricity generation and bilateral-contract commercialization (selling to distributors, traders, and non-regulated large consumers meeting CREG-defined volume or demand thresholds), natural gas buying and selling under CREG Resolutions 185/186 of 2020, reliability charge capacity payments, and coal mining supporting internal generation. Go-to-market is sales-led and direct: long-term bilateral contracts with electricity sector companies, large industrial buyers (including Ecopetrol), and gas market counterparties, with no retail end-customer channel. The company is headquartered in Barranquilla and operates solely within Colombia.

Name

Gecelca

Legal name

GECELCA S.A. E.S.P.

Website

https://gecelca.com.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

GECELCA is a Colombian state-owned electricity generator and commercializer operating 709 MW of coal-fired thermal capacity across Termoguajira and Gecelca 3, supplying 15% of national and 26% of Caribbean regional demand, and now expanding into solar via its new GECELCA Solar subsidiary.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Electric Power Generation and Commercialization

NAICS

Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation (221112), Electric Power Generation (22111)

SIC

Cogeneration Services & Small Power Producers (4991), Bituminous Coal & Lignite Mining (1220)

akta.pro primary industry

Circulating Fluidized Bed (CFB) Coal Power Plants (EUACAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Distributed Energy & Gas Solutions Sales (CHP, Microgrids, On-site Gas Supply) (EUAAADAJ)

Keywords

• Thermal power generation
• Electricity commercialization
• Natural gas marketing
• Coal mining operations
• Renewable energy generation

Headquarters

HQ city

Barranquilla

HQ country

Colombia

HQ region

Latin America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Electricity Generation and Commercialization: GECELCA generates electricity through its thermal plants and sells it through bilateral contracts to other sector companies and non-regulated users. The company also purchases and resells electricity from autogenerators. Revenue is derived from capacity payments and energy sales in the wholesale electricity market.
2. Natural Gas Commercialization: GECELCA participates in Colombia's natural gas market, buying and selling natural gas in accordance with CREG Resolutions 185 and 186 of 2020, adding a secondary revenue stream to its core electricity business.
3. Coal Mining Operations: The company operates the Las Palmeras open-pit coal mine, which supplies fuel to the Gecelca 3 thermal plant. This vertical integration secures fuel supply and supports generation operations.
4. Reliability Charge Backup (Cargo por Confiabilidad): GECELCA provides backup energy capacity services under Colombia's reliability charge mechanism, earning capacity remuneration for availability during critical demand periods.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

GECELCA S.A. E.S.P. generates electricity through coal-fired thermal power plants and commercializes electrical energy and natural gas in the Colombian Caribbean region. It operates two thermal plants (Termoguajira and Gecelca 3) totaling 709 MW of installed capacity, and operates the Las Palmeras coal mine to vertically integrate fuel supply. It also holds a solar energy subsidiary (GECELCA Solar).

Product overview

GECELCA S.A. E.S.P. is a Colombian state-owned electric energy generator and commercializer operating in the Caribbean region. The company operates through three core business units: Generation (four thermal generation units totaling 709 MW installed capacity via Termoguajira and Gecelca 3 plants), Commercialization (electricity and natural gas sales to regulated and non-regulated users), and Mining (Las Palmeras open-pit coal mine securing fuel supply). A new subsidiary, GECELCA Solar, was established in early 2026 to expand into renewable energy with an initial 200 MW solar project. The company serves approximately 26% of the Caribbean region's energy demand and holds the position as Colombia's second-largest coal-based electricity generator.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Gecelca Solar: A strategic subsidiary of GECELCA focused on renewable energy and solar power generation. Its first project is a 200 MW solar installation in Colombia's Caribbean region.

Products and services

• Termoguajira Thermal Power Plant

Quantifiable outcome

• Meets 15% of Colombia's total electricity demand
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Government of Colombia (via Ministry of Mines and Energy)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 January 2026Colombia's Ministry of Mines and Energy is implementing the 'Connected Caribbean' grid expansion project committing US$1.7 billion to upgrade transmission infrastructure enabling up to 6GW of new renewable energy capacity. GECELCA, as the dominant generator in the Caribbean region, is a key stakeholder in this grid development initiative.
• Ministry of Mines and Energy of Colombia (MinEnergía)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 January 2026GECELCA and MinEnergía signed a strategic agreement to drive the Colombia Solar program, a COP $4.2 trillion initiative that will benefit over 563,000 households in 13 departments, promoting solar energy, reduced electricity tariffs, and a just and sustainable energy transition. GECELCA's new subsidiary, GECELCA Solar, serves as the operational vehicle for this program.
• Government of the Republic of KoreaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026The Colombian and Korean governments jointly inaugurated the first Energy Community with Peace Signatories in La Guajira, Colombia, a project involving GECELCA to promote renewable energy access in vulnerable communities.
• EcopetrolminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 21 November 2022Ecopetrol signed an electricity purchase and sale contract with GECELCA, establishing a commercial buyer-seller relationship for energy supply in Colombia's wholesale electricity market.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Vanti: Colombian natural gas distribution company serving Bogotá, Cundinamarca, and other regions under CEGAS起源 (formerly Gas Natural Fenosa Colombia). Comparable peer in the natural gas commercialization business alongside Gecelca's gas operations under the same CREG regulatory framework.
• Promigas: Colombian natural gas transportation and distribution company operating primarily in the Caribbean and northern Colombia. Directly comparable as a peer in Gecelca's natural gas commercialization business and overlapping geographic footprint in the Caribbean region under the same CREG framework.
• TermoCandelaria: Major coal-fired thermal power generator based in Cartagena, Colombia, owned by EPM and Proeléctrica. Closest peer in coal-based thermal generation serving Colombia's National Interconnected System, with particularly relevant overlap given its Caribbean region location and similar regulatory framework.
• Celsia: Colombian integrated energy company operating generation, transmission, and distribution businesses across multiple regions. Directly comparable as a Colombian electricity generator and commercializer operating under the same CREG regulatory framework and serving similar regulated and non-regulated customers.
• Isagen: Major Colombian electricity generator focused on hydroelectric and renewable generation, with operations across multiple Colombian departments. Comparable as a Colombian integrated electricity generator with bilateral contract sales and active participation in Colombia's wholesale market under the same CREG regulatory framework.
• AES Colombia: Generation subsidiary of AES Corporation operating thermal and renewable energy projects in Colombia (including the Chivor hydro and Tunjita projects). Comparable as a foreign-affiliated electricity generator operating in Colombia's market under similar bilateral contract dynamics and regulatory structure.
• Enel Colombia: Major Colombian electricity distribution and generation company, subsidiary of global Enel Group (formerly Codensa and Emgesa). Comparable as a major foreign-affiliated electricity provider serving regulated and non-regulated customers in the same market under the same regulatory framework, with significant generation assets.
• EPM (Empresas Públicas de Medellín): Largest multi-utility in Colombia with extensive generation, transmission, and distribution operations across multiple Latin American countries. Comparable as a major Colombian electricity provider with a generation portfolio serving the same national market and operating under the same regulatory regime as Gecelca.

Broad incumbents

• ISA (Interconexión Eléctrica): Colombian multi-Latin American energy infrastructure operator focused on power transmission, with growing renewable generation (and recent majority divestiture of its stake to a private consortium). Comparable as a state-influenced Colombian energy major operating across adjacent parts of the electricity value chain under similar regulatory and government ownership dynamics.

Others

• Drummond Ltd: Major coal mining company with extensive open-pit operations in La Guajira and Cesar departments of Colombia. Comparable through coal mining activity in the same Colombian coal-producing region where Gecelca operates Las Palmeras; a potential coal supply counterpart or peer for mining operations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@gecelcas.ae.s.p3962
• Facebookfacebook.com/GECELCASAESP
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gecelca-sa-e-s-p-
• Instagraminstagram.com/gecelca.saesp
• Xx.com/Gecelca

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Gecelca