Air-e electrical infrastructure financing in Colombia

Air-e Intervenida has entered into a financing agreement with the China National Machinery Exports and Imports Corporation (CMC) to modernize electrical infrastructure in Colombia’s Atlántico, Magdalena, and La Guajira departments.

The agreement provides for up to 1 trillion Colombian pesos to fund technological upgrades for power substations and the expansion of distribution and transmission networks. The financing includes a 60-month term with a 5.2% annual effective interest rate and a one-year grace period once the infrastructure becomes operational. To ensure project feasibility and assess impacts on tariffs, a technical committee consisting of three members from Air-e and two from CMC will evaluate specific projects before contracts are finalized.

Despite the CMC agreement, Air-e continues to manage significant existing obligations. In September 2026, the Colombian Ministry of Finance authorized a disbursement of 300 billion pesos to the Business Fund of the Superintendency of Public Services to address the company’s accumulated payment commitments.

Air-e’s total debt to the national electrical system has reached 3.5 trillion pesos, including 2.2 trillion pesos owed to thermal generation companies. The National Association of Generating Companies (ANDEG) noted that while the recent authorization shows “political will to contain the liabilities of the intervened company,” an additional 1.2 trillion pesos previously announced by the Ministries of Finance and Mines has yet to be liquidated. Furthermore, public entities in Atlántico, Magdalena, and La Guajira owe more than 100 billion pesos for official energy consumption. Air-e’s special agent, Ramiro Castilla Andrade, stated the company is seeking payment agreements with municipal administrations to recover these funds for operational needs and infrastructure investments.