Ministers and vice-ministers of State met on Monday with energy sector authorities for the second inter-institutional coordination meeting to chart a roadmap for the construction of the Colombia-Panama Electrical Interconnection Project. This meeting, held in the Salón Paz of the Palacio de las Garzas, was chaired by the Minister of the Presidency, Juan Carlos Orillac, and its objective was to evaluate the progress made in talks with communities along the route of the interconnection line. Several indigenous communities have already expressed willingness to accept the project if social components such as roads, rural electrification plans, and support for schools and productive activities are added. "There are social issues here that we must address so that the interconnection project does not face setbacks," Minister Orillac stated, insisting that it is a priority project for the President of the Republic, José Raúl Mulino. This megaproject is being carried out by Interconexión Eléctrica Colombia Panamá S.A. (ICP), a joint venture formed by Panama's Empresa de Transmisión Eléctrica S.A. (ETESA) and Colombia's Grupo ISA. The electrical interconnection is one of the three components of the so-called Sustainable Environmental Corridor. The other two components are road infrastructure plans and rural electrification plans. The purpose of the Panama-Colombia interconnection is to strengthen the security and energy resilience of Panama, enable electricity exchange between regions, and promote development opportunities in the involved territories. The line consists of three sections: the first, 220 kilometers long, between Panama City and Mulatupu, Kuna Yala; then a marine section to Necoclí, in Colombia; and a final land section to Montelíbano. Its transport capacity will be 400 megawatts. During meetings with communities in Darién and Kuna Yala, residents have shown interest in the project including a road connecting the Pan-American Highway with Mulatupu. They also request electrification for 730 homes in the communities of Nurra, Mortí, Ualá, and Sasardí–Mulatupú; the relocation of the Asnati School; and social impact actions in education, health, food security, and productive activities. Upcoming consultation meetings remain pending at the Wargandí Congress this year, as well as a dialogue with Alto Bayano authorities in January, and the Guna Yala Extraordinary Congress in March. It was also reported that this month, corrections to the Environmental Impact Study must be completed. The project's calendar also states that the remuneration system proposal must be known by early 2026, and the rural electrification regulation must be approved. The financing scheme is also projected to be defined by the beginning of next year. At Monday's meeting, the ministers Lucy Molinar (Education), José Luis Andrade (Public Works), Jaime Jované (Housing and Territorial Ordering), and Vice Minister Doris Bill Fábrega (Indigenous Affairs) were present. Also participating were the Secretary of Energy, Rodrigo Rodríguez, and Zelmar Rodríguez, administrator of the Public Services Authority (Asep).
