A critical piece of energy infrastructure in northern Colombia is facing yet another setback. The Colectora transmission line, designed to carry electricity from wind farms in the La Guajira region to the national grid, will now be pushed back eight months because more communities are requesting formal consultations before construction can proceed.
Under Colombian law, Indigenous and Afro-descendant communities have the right to “prior consultation” — a legally mandated dialogue process — whenever a major infrastructure project affects land they occupy or use. While this safeguard is meant to protect ethnic and cultural rights, it has become a major bottleneck for large energy projects nationwide.
Colectora was awarded to the Grupo Energía Bogotá (GEB) utility company back in February 2018, with an original completion target of late 2022. That date slipped to August 2026, and now the project faces yet another delay. GEB’s subsidiary, Enlaza, has already negotiated consultations with more than 230 communities along the line’s route — and more keep emerging.
The situation echoes struggles seen with Sirius, Colombia’s largest natural gas discovery, which has also been stalled by a cascade of community consultations and, according to Ecopetrol, even extortion threats.
Curious how this recurring conflict between community rights and energy development is playing out on the ground? Read the full story at El Tiempo.
Source: Colectora se retrasará 8 meses porque exigen más consultas previas: 'No pueden aparecer nuevas comunidades infinitamente' (eltiempo.com). English version produced with AI assistance.
Image: bengt-re, BY 2.0 (via Openverse).