BOGOTA (Reuters) - Companies from around the world have proposed to develop 69 offshore areas in Colombia's first offshore wind energy auction, the South American country's National Hydrocarbons Agency (ANH) said on Thursday.

WHY IT'S IMPORTANT

The auction is a significant step toward President Gustavo Petro's goal of diversifying the energy sector and reducing dependency on oil and coal.

The preliminary list of companies showing interest in the wind energy auction includes groups from Belgium, Britain, China and Spain, as well as Colombian companies, such as Ecopetrol.

KEY QUOTES

"Once the suitability of the proposals is verified, the approved companies will be able to make offers on areas of interest, with the option of being awarded a maximum of two (projects)," an ANH statement said.

BY THE NUMBERS

The Colombian government aims to award projects that can lead to a minimum installed capacity of power generation of 1 gigawatt from the auction, with each project requiring a minimum installed capacity of 200 megawatts.

The broader goal from Petro's administration is to reach 7 gigawatts of installed offshore wind power capacity by 2040.

While a deposit for offers can be submitted through the end of May, a date for when projects will be awarded has yet to be made public.