The Short Answer
Data center site selection in Colombia comes down to one region and one question. The region is the Bogotá savanna (Sabana de Bogotá), which holds more than 98% of the country's capacity. The question is power: whether a lot can get megawatts from a grid that is short of firm energy and waiting on two delayed transmission lines.
Colombia has about 50 MW of data center capacity installed and expects roughly 80 MW by the end of 2026, according to Portafolio. Arizton, a market research firm, says upcoming capacity should exceed 200 MW. Most of it sits inside free trade zones (zonas francas) around Bogotá.
For a landowner, the test is a real path to power, a land-use class that allows industry, legally usable water and a title that survives a 10–20 year study. Sections for landowners and brokers are at the end. This guide is part of the Latin America series.
A small market concentrated around one city
Capacity figures are from Portafolio and Arizton. UPME, the energy planning unit, sets the filing windows.
Why Colombia Is on the Data Center Map
Colombia is a small market: Portafolio reports about 950 MW in Brazil and 341.6 MW in Chile.
Facility counts depend on who is counting. Arizton counts about 25 operating colocation data centers (third-party facilities that rent space to customers) and 9 or 10 upcoming, depending on which of its two September 2026 reports you read. Portafolio cites a directory that lists 69 installations of all kinds.
The reference project is ODATA, part of Aligned Data Centers. In October 2024, Data Center Dynamics (DCD) reported, it announced US$1.3 billion for two campuses: BG02 in the Zona Franca de Occidente in Mosquera (24 MW of IT load) and BG03 in the Zona Franca Metropolitana in Tenjo (up to 120 MW of IT load). First phases were due by the end of 2026. Its existing site, BG01 in Cota, has 14.6 MW.
The new government, in office since August 2026, has made data centers a stated priority. Supply is the limit: land that can be powered. For how U.S. developers rank sites, see Data Center Site Selection.
Colombia at a Glance
| Factor | Colombia | What it means for your land |
|---|---|---|
| Market size | ~50 MW installed (Portafolio); 200+ MW upcoming, 98%+ in Bogotá (Arizton) | Demand is concentrated. Outside the savanna a site needs a specific reason to exist. |
| Power | Firm-energy shortfall for 2026–27 (XM); about 400 MW of new demand waits on two lines due in 2027 | Substation distance, voltage and operator matter more than hectares. |
| Time to power | No published figure found. UPME takes requests only in January and May | Missing a window adds months. Do not promise a date. |
| Water | CAR concessions; 10-year maximum; transfer needs prior authorization | A concession does not pass with the deed. |
| Land tenure and zoning | Registry title; municipal land-use plan (POT); 30% occupancy cap for industry on rural-suburban land | The title certificate and land-use certificate are read first. |
| Foreign buyers | Reported to buy on substantially the same terms as Colombians; a bill on rural land is in committee | Confirm the current position with counsel. |
| Permits | No licence found for the building itself; lines of 220 kV or more need an ANLA licence | The grid tie-in is the licensed part, and the part neighbours notice. |
| Incentives | Zonas francas: duties and VAT suspended on imported equipment; income tax 20% or 35% | Do not overstate the tax rate. |
| Political climate | New government since 7 August 2026; data centers a stated priority | Supportive nationally. Local consultation still matters. |
Swipe to see the full table →
Power: The First Question Every Buyer Asks
The Ministry of Mines and Energy sets policy, CREG regulates, UPME plans and decides transmission-level connection requests, and XM operates the system. Around Bogotá the distributor is Enel Colombia.
How a large load gets connected. The rule is new. UPME Resolution 443 of 17 June 2026, in force since 19 June 2026, sets the procedure for end users connecting to the national and regional transmission systems (STN and STR).
- Two filing windows a year: the first five business days of January and the first five business days of May. Requests filed outside the windows are treated as not filed for that cycle.
- Decision dates: UPME issues its concepts by the last business day of April and the last business day of August, and by the last business day of December for projects evaluated with network expansions. Where a project depends on expansion works in the STN, the concept can come later, within a month of the adoption of the national expansion plan.
- Guarantees: the applicant posts a capacity-reservation guarantee under CREG Resolution 075 of 2021. We did not find the amounts per kilowatt.
- Temporary connections: where the resolution's conditions are met, these can be requested at any time, for up to 12 months, renewable up to five years in total.
Time to power. We did not find a published figure for how long a data center takes to get power in Colombia. What the calendar implies is this: a request filed in January gets a UPME concept by the end of April at the earliest, and by the end of December, or later, if expansion works are needed. Physical works come after that.
Supply is tight. XM's bulletin of 11 September 2026, reported by Portafolio, put the firm-energy shortfall for 2026–27 at 7,207 GWh-year, with demand 7.76% above firm energy. A later XM bulletin, reported by Infobae on 27 September, put the gap at 7,669 GWh-year. On El Niño, Portafolio reported a 98% probability of a very strong event and 77% of the strongest since 1950; Infobae reported 90% and 75%. The later bulletin flagged February to April 2027 as the most vulnerable months.
The grid around Bogotá. El Tiempo reported on 21 September 2026 that the Ministry says about 400 MW of new demand in the region depends on two lines: Sogamoso–Norte–Nueva Esperanza (500 kV), 68% complete and expected in October 2027, and Chivor II–Norte (230 kV), 81% complete and expected in June or July 2027. Enel is building the Intexzona substation in Cota (166 MVA at 115 kV, about COP 70 billion, roughly US$22 million), due in the first quarter of 2027 to serve data center loads in Cota and Tenjo.
In Colombia the scarce asset is not flat land near Bogotá. It is land with a substation, a voltage and a filing date a buyer can plan around.
Buying and making power. Any user above 0.1 MW of demand or 55 MWh a month is an unregulated user (usuario no regulado) under CREG Resolution 131 of 1998 and can negotiate supply directly. On self-generation, CREG Resolution 174 of 2021 treats plants up to 1 MW as small-scale and plants above 1 MW as large-scale, with a simplified connection study below 5 MW. For load sizing, see How Much Power Does a Data Center Need? and Powered Land for Data Centers.
Water: A Concession Is Not Part of the Land
Water rights come from the regional environmental authority, the Corporación Autónoma Regional (CAR). In the Bogotá savanna that is CAR Cundinamarca.
- Term. A concession is granted for no more than 10 years (Decree 1076 of 2015, Art. 2.2.3.2.7.4). It can be extended only in its last year (Decree 1541 of 1978, Art. 47).
- Transfer. A total or partial transfer needs prior authorization (Art. 50). When the property changes hands, the new owner must request the transfer within 60 days (Art. 51).
On 30 September 2026, CAR Cundinamarca ordered its regional offices to review water concessions in 35 municipalities of Cundinamarca and Boyacá. It may reduce flows or suspend surface-water abstraction where human supply is at risk, Portafolio reported.
Bogotá ran rotating water rationing from April 2024 to 12 April 2025, according to its water utility. A site planned for closed-loop or air-based cooling is easier to defend. For design options, see Data Center Water & Cooling.
Who Can Buy: Foreign Ownership Rules
According to Stanford Baker & Associates, foreigners can buy land on substantially the same terms as Colombians under Article 100 of the Constitution. That source is a small-firm blog, so confirm with counsel.
- A bill, not a law. Bill 320/2026C in the Cámara de Representantes would set limits on foreign ownership, possession or holding of rural land. As of October 2026 its status is in committee. It is not law.
- Border zones. The same blog mentions restrictions in border zones. We could not confirm them in a primary source. Ask counsel.
- Collective ethnic land. The same source lists indigenous reserves (resguardos) and Afro-Colombian collective titles as land that cannot be sold.
A foreign-backed buyer needs registered title, a clean chain of ownership and a land-use certificate. Its own structure and exchange-control filings are for its Colombian counsel.
Land and Zoning: Title, Origin and Soil Class
Ownership is proven by the property's registry folio (folio de matrícula inmobiliaria) at the public registry office, evidenced by the certificado de tradición y libertad, the certificate that lists owners, liens and limits. Standard practice is a title study covering 10–20 years of the folio, plus cadastral areas, taxes, land use, land origin and restitution status.
Land use is set by each municipality's plan, called the POT, PBOT or EOT depending on the town's size. It classes land as urban, expansion, rural or rural-suburban.
| Check | What the rule says | Why a buyer cares |
|---|---|---|
| Baldío origin and the UAF limit | Under Art. 72 of Law 160 of 1994, nobody may acquire land first titled by the State as a baldío (vacant public land) above the limit of the Unidad Agrícola Familiar (UAF), the family farm unit set by region. Acts that breach the limit are void. | An assemblage of former baldío parcels can be void however clean the later deeds look. |
| Land restitution | Law 1448 of 2011 runs through 2031 and covers dispossession since 1 January 1991. | Environmental licences have been suspended on land under restitution, according to Lloreda Camacho. |
| Extinción de dominio | Asset forfeiture for land tied to illegal activity. The action does not expire with time. | Title studies screen every owner in the chain against restrictive lists. |
| Ethnic communities | Consulta previa (prior consultation) is a fundamental right under ILO Convention 169. Only the consultation authority in the Interior Ministry decides whether it applies. | It is required where a project may directly affect ethnic communities. |
| Rural-suburban industrial limits | Decree 4066 of 2008: industry may occupy no more than 30% of the lot, or up to 50% for industrial parks that deliver additional cessions. Industrial parks may not be smaller than 6 hectares. | The buildable footprint is a fraction of the lot. Municipalities may not create new industrial areas on ordinary rural land. |
Swipe to see the full table →
Have Colombian counsel confirm each citation. For the physical checklist, see Data Center Land Requirements.
Permits: The Building, the Line and the CAR
The building. We found no source that lists a data center building among the activities that need an environmental licence. The one documented case points the same way: in Tenjo, the national licensing authority (ANLA) approved on 16 September 2026 a licence for a 1,037-metre, 220 kV line and substation serving ODATA's BG03 campus, not for the data center itself, PortalNews reported. That is one case, not a rule. Confirm it with counsel.
What does need an ANLA licence. Under Decree 1076 of 2015, lines of the national transmission system at 220 kV or more and power plants of 100 MW or more need a licence from ANLA.
The urban licence. The construction licence (licencia urbanística) is decided by the urban curator or the municipal planning office within a maximum of 45 business days (Decree 1077 of 2015, Art. 2.2.6.1.2.3.1). The term runs from a complete filing. If no decision is issued in that time, positive administrative silence applies, though never against the planning rules in force.
CAR permits. Discharge and tree-felling permits come from the CAR. We found no published timelines for them and no clear rule on whether standby generators need an air-emissions permit. Ask the CAR.
Where in Colombia: The Savanna and the Coast
| Market | What is there | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Zona Franca de Bogotá (Fontibón) | Equinix BG1 and BG2, KIO, Sencinet, Scala, Takoda | The established cluster inside the city. |
| Mosquera and Funza | ODATA BG02, Ascenty BOG1 and BOG2 and DHAmericas in the Zona Franca de Occidente; Claro Triara in Funza | The western industrial corridor. Listings for large industrial lots in Funza and Siberia ask COP 280,000–350,000 per m². |
| Tenjo and Cota | ODATA BG03 (up to 120 MW) and Tigo-Une in Tenjo; ODATA BG01 in Cota | The largest project and Enel's new substation. Community concerns have surfaced here. |
| Tocancipá | HostDime, Ilkari and Sencinet in the Zona Franca de Tocancipá | The northern node of the savanna. |
| Caribbean coast, Medellín, Cali | Secondary markets named by Portafolio: Barranquilla, Cartagena, Medellín and Valle del Cauca | The Vice President is promoting the "Alto Caribe" for large campuses. We found no capacity figures by city outside Bogotá. |
Swipe to see the full table →
Facility locations are from Data Center Map, October 2026. See also Data Center Fiber & Connectivity.
Incentives and Policy: What a Zona Franca Does and Does Not Do
Most Colombian data centers sit inside a zona franca, and the reason is equipment. Goods that enter a zone from abroad are not treated as imports, so customs duties and VAT are suspended while they stay in the zone. That relief on servers and electrical gear is the main benefit.
Income tax is where sellers overstate. Under Article 240-1 of the tax code, as amended by Law 2277 of 2022:
- Industrial users qualified before 13 December 2022 keep the 20% rate.
- Users qualified after that date must sign an internationalization and annual sales plan with the Ministry of Commerce. The 20% rate applies to export income. Income from sales into Colombia, or outside the plan, pays 35%.
A data center that qualifies today and sells mostly to Colombian customers pays 35% on that income. Name the zone and its date, and let the buyer run the numbers.
We did not find a national data center law or strategy. What exists is advocacy and announcements: the Vice President has proposed new generation on the Caribbean coast, in three successive waves, to host large campuses.
Community and Political Risk
President Abelardo de la Espriella took office on 7 August 2026. AmCham Colombia describes the stance as pro-investment: simpler procedures, faster environmental licensing and investment in transmission. Vice President Restrepo has made data centers an explicit priority, saying that "exporting energy means exporting artificial intelligence."
In Tenjo, PortalNews reported in September 2026 that the president of the La Punta community board said the ODATA project was not presented to residents, and a local collective questioned the lack of participation. Their concerns are water during El Niño and the power draw. We found no organised national opposition.
Three Scenarios with the Math
These examples are illustrative. Figures marked as assumptions are chosen to show how the math works; they are not market quotes or appraisals.
20 hectares zoned for industry
An owner holds 20 hectares (200,000 m²) of rural-suburban land where the POT allows industry. Fincaraíz listings checked on 2 October 2026 show asking prices of COP 280,000–350,000 per m² for large industrial lots in Funza and Siberia. Applied to this lot, that range is COP 56 billion to COP 70 billion, or roughly US$17.6–22 million (about US$88–110 per m², approximate, at the 6 August 2026 exchange rate). These are asking prices, not closed sales.
The limit: at 30% occupancy, buildings can cover 60,000 m². As an industrial park with additional cessions, up to 50%, or 100,000 m².
7.5 hectares that can become 5
A broker assembles three neighbouring parcels of 2.5 hectares each (an assumption), for 7.5 hectares, or 75,000 m². That clears the 6-hectare park minimum. At 30% occupancy the footprint is 22,500 m²; at 50%, 37,500 m².
The trap: the title study finds that one parcel was first titled by the State as a baldío. If acquiring it breaches the UAF limit under Art. 72 of Law 160 of 1994, that purchase is void. Without it the site is 5 hectares, below the 6-hectare minimum, and the park no longer qualifies. Check land origin first.
"20% income tax" against the real blend
A zona franca lot is pitched with a 20% income-tax rate, but the buyer would qualify after 13 December 2022. Assume taxable income of COP 10 billion a year, with 80% from Colombian customers and 20% from exports under the plan. Domestic income of COP 8 billion pays 35%, or COP 2.8 billion. Export income of COP 2 billion pays 20%, or COP 0.4 billion. Total tax is COP 3.2 billion, a blended rate of 32%, not the COP 2.0 billion the 20% claim implies.
Eight Mistakes Landowners and Brokers Make
- Leading with hectares instead of megawatts. Give the substation distance, voltage and operator first.
- Promising power in a few months. Transmission-level requests are accepted only in early January and early May.
- Assuming rural land near a highway can take a data center. Industry on rural-suburban land is capped at 30% occupancy and parks need at least 6 hectares.
- Saying "it is in a zona franca, so tax is 20%." For users qualified after 13 December 2022, the 20% rate applies only to export income under a plan. Domestic income pays 35%.
- Treating a water concession as part of the land. It lasts at most 10 years, needs CAR authorization to transfer, and the new owner has 60 days to request it.
- Assembling parcels without checking baldío origin. Purchases of former baldío land above the UAF limit are void.
- Offering a one-page certificate as clean title. Buyers expect a 10–20 year title study with restitution and forfeiture checks.
- Ignoring neighbours. A line of 220 kV or more needs an ANLA licence, and in Tenjo that licence drew complaints that residents were not consulted.
What to Send a Buyer
- Certificado de tradición y libertad (registry certificate of title and liens), recent, with the folio number, plus the escrituras públicas (notarized deeds) going back 10–20 years.
- Land origin and restitution: proof the land is not of baldío origin, or that UAF limits were respected, and a restitution check.
- Paz y salvo predial (property-tax clearance) and valorización (betterment levy) clearance.
- Certificado de uso del suelo or concepto de norma urbanística (land-use certificate from the municipal planning office), showing soil class and occupancy index.
- Plano topográfico (topographic survey), reconciled with cadastral and registry areas.
- Power: distance to the nearest substation, its voltage (115, 230 or 500 kV), the network operator and any feasibility letter.
- Water: the concession's resolution number, flow and expiry date, or a utility availability letter.
- Disponibilidad de servicios públicos (utility availability letters).
- Environmental overlays (protected areas, forest reserves, wetlands, river setbacks) and whether consulta previa would apply.
- Occupancy and contracts: leases, loans for use (comodatos), easements and informal occupants.
- Zona franca status: whether the lot is inside a declared zone, and since when.
For Landowners in Colombia
Own land in Colombia near power? Get a confidential site read.
If you own land in Colombia near a substation or high-voltage line, Carson Jones will tell you in confidence whether it can compete for data center use. Send:
- Location pin and hectares
- Municipality and soil class under the POT
- Nearest substation, its voltage (115/230/500 kV) and operator
- Water source or concession
- Certificado de tradición y libertad
- Whether the lot is inside a zona franca
For Brokers in Colombia
A broker in Colombia? Co-broker data center land with Carson.
Carson brings U.S. and global buyers, capital partners and equity participation through the eXp Commercial platform.
- Written broker-to-broker co-brokerage or referral agreement before any introduction
- You perform all brokerage services in Colombia; Carson does not practice brokerage in Colombia
- Colombia has no national real estate agent licence, according to Colegio Inmobiliario.
- We found no specific rule on cooperation between a foreign and a local broker, so the arrangement is a written commission-sharing agreement. Colombian counsel must confirm the tax and exchange-control treatment of any commission paid abroad
- Metrocuadrado puts normal commissions at about 3% on urban sales and 8–10% on rural sales
- Best fit: Bogotá savanna industrial and land specialists (Funza, Mosquera, Tenjo, Cota, Tocancipá) and zona franca brokers
Frequently Asked Questions
How big is Colombia's data center market?
Where are data centers being built in Colombia?
How does a data center get a grid connection in Colombia?
How long does it take to get power for a data center in Colombia?
Is there enough electricity in Colombia for new data centers?
Can a data center buy power directly from a generator in Colombia?
Can a data center generate its own power in Colombia?
Does my land have to be in a zona franca to attract a data center?
Is income tax 20% for a data center in a zona franca?
Can a foreign company buy my land in Colombia?
Is there a law limiting foreign ownership of rural land in Colombia?
My land was first titled by the State as a baldío. Is that a problem?
What title documents will a data center buyer ask for in Colombia?
What zoning does land need for a data center in Colombia?
How long does a construction licence take in Colombia?
Does a data center need an environmental licence in Colombia?
Can I sell my water concession together with the land?
Is water a risk for data centers near Bogotá?
Do real estate agents need a licence in Colombia, and what commission is normal?
How does a U.S. broker work with a broker in Colombia on a data center deal?
Sources
- Arizton / GlobeNewswire — Colombia Data Center Market Portfolio Analysis: Existing and Upcoming Facilities, 2026–2031 (29 Sep 2026)
- DCD — OData to spend $1.3bn building two data centers in Colombia (23 Oct 2024)
- Portafolio — Data centers: Colombia gana atractivo para la inversión, pero enfrenta un reto energético (2026)
- Data Center Map — Bogotá Data Centers (fetched 2 Oct 2026)
- PortalNews — ¿Agua para Tenjo o para el gigante tecnológico? (26 Sep 2026)
- UPME (CREG gestor normativo) — Resolución UPME 443 de 2026 (17 Jun 2026)
- CREG (CRA mirror) — Resolución CREG 131 de 1998 (1998)
- CREG (CRA mirror) — Resolución CREG 174 de 2021 (7 Oct 2021)
- Portafolio (citing XM) — La energía firme no alcanza: Colombia enfrenta una brecha de 7.207 GWh para 2026-2027 (12 Sep 2026)
- Infobae (citing XM) — Boletín energético advirtió 5 factores que podrían llevar… a un racionamiento en 2027 (27 Sep 2026)
- El Tiempo — Minambiente destraba trámites de las líneas Sogamoso y Chivor Norte… (21 Sep 2026)
- El Tiempo — Enel Colombia inicia construcción de una subestación eléctrica… en la Sabana de Bogotá (12 Jul 2026)
- Yahoo Noticias — Vicepresidente plantea aumentar la generación de energía en el Caribe para construir centros de datos (3 Sep 2026)
- DIAN — Concepto/Oficio DIAN 2531 de 2024 (Art. 240-1 E.T.) (May 2024)
- Pérez-Llorca — Guía de Zonas Francas 2026 (Apr 2026)
- Corporación Autónoma Regional del Quindío — Resolution citing Decreto 1076 de 2015, Art. 2.2.3.2.7.4 (undated)
- Colpensiones normativa mirror — Decreto 1541 de 1978 (Arts. 47, 49, 50, 51) (1978)
- Portafolio — CAR revisará concesiones de agua a empresas y podrá reducir caudales… (30 Sep 2026)
- Acueducto de Bogotá (EAAB) — Bogotá levanta el racionamiento de agua… (Apr 2025)
- Stanford Baker & Associates — Can Foreigners Buy Agricultural Land in Colombia? (2026)
- Cámara de Representantes — Regulación de tierras por extranjeros (PL 320/2026C) (2026)
- Agencia Nacional de Tierras — Límites UAF (memorandum citing Ley 160 de 1994, Art. 72) (Oct 2024)
- Lloreda Camacho / Asuntos Legales — El impacto de la restitución de tierras en el sector productivo (10 Sep 2021)
- Asuntos Legales (via Accounter) — ¿Qué debe incluir una debida diligencia inmobiliaria? (30 Sep 2025)
- ANLA — ¿Qué es la consulta previa? (undated)
- CRA gestor normativo — Decreto 4066 de 2008 (modifies Decreto 3600 de 2007) (2008)
- Ministerio de Vivienda — Concepto 2020EE0024717 (2020)
- ANLA — Energía, presas, represas, trasvases y embalses (licensing scope) (undated)
- AmCham Colombia — Colombia 2026-2030: perspectivas y retos para la inversión extranjera, la energía y los recursos naturales (27 Jul 2026)
- Colegio Inmobiliario — Aspectos Legales de un Agente Inmobiliario en Colombia (10 Mar 2025)
- Metrocuadrado — Cuál es el valor de la comisión por venta o arriendo de inmueble (updated 29 Sep 2026)
- Fincaraíz — Lotes en venta en Funza (fetched 2 Oct 2026)
Related guides
Data Center Site Selection in Latin America · Mexico · Brazil · Chile · Data Centers: The Complete Guide · Data Center Site Selection · Data Center Land Requirements · How Much Power Does a Data Center Need? · Powered Land for Data Centers · Water & Cooling · Fiber & Connectivity
Educational information only — not legal, tax, engineering, or investment advice. Colombia land, water, energy, and brokerage rules change frequently; confirm every point with local counsel, a locally authorized broker, and the relevant authorities before acting. Carson Jones is licensed in Tennessee and does not practice real estate brokerage in Colombia; transactions there are handled by locally authorized brokers under written co-brokerage or referral agreements. Scenario figures are illustrative, not quotes or appraisals.
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