Panama-Colombia Electrical Interconnection is One-Step Closer to Completion.
Below are the Presidents of Panama and Colombia shaking hands in agreement.
The Colombia-Panama Electrical Interconnection (ICP) is a binational high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission project designed to link the power grids of Central America and South America for the first time Wargandí and Guna Yala are two indigenous comarcas (semi-autonomous regions) in Panama inhabited by the Guna people. Both territories recently approved a free, prior, and informed consent process regarding the $800 million Panama-Colombia electric interconnection project. With the approval of Wargandí and Guna Yala comarcas, the two territories have taken a decisive step forward for an $800 million dollar development. The Panama-Colombia electric interconnection megaproject (ICP). Following this milestone, only an agreement with the Alto Bayano Collective Land (an indigenous territory in Eastern Panama) remains to finalize the project that will connect the energy networks of Central and South America
To date, the country has the support of two Indigenous territories to move forward with the process. On August 26, the Wargandí Comarca confirmed its approval to advance the project through a resolution reached at its Ordinary General Congress and, on October 28, the Guna General Congress also approved. With these two consents, only the Alto Bayano Collective Land remains however, their representatives have expressed openness to the initiative while they define aspects related to its governance. Meanwhile in Colombia, consultations with 12 ethnic groups have already been successfully completed, with these groups granting their formal consent through signed agreements, according to the National Energy Secretariat. The Guna Congress’s decision marks the first time this body has formally authorized a consultation with its communities regarding the project. “The communities’ decision is full and sovereign,” stated National Energy Secretary Rodrigo Rodríguez J.
The agreement marks a milestone in the relationship between the project and the region, after the interconnection was suspended in 2012. “This step is the result of mutual respect between national and traditional authorities. This is how we got here, and this is how we will continue working,” added the Minister of Energy, who also confirmed that the environmental impact study was accepted by the Ministry of the Environment at the end of 2025 and is currently under evaluation. The Colombia-Panama Electrical Interconnection aims to strengthen energy responsiveness to climate events that impact supply and demand. The project will link the electrical systems of Central and South America for the first time via a high-voltage transmission line approximately 500 kilometers long—including a submarine section in the Caribbean—with an initial capacity of 400 megawatts. The project is part of the Sustainable Environmental Corridor initiative, which encompasses road infrastructure, rural electrification, and interconnection.
