Petro's government allocated nearly 28 billion pesos to a solar energy program, but no community received the infrastructure

The Gustavo Petro administration allocated approximately 28 billion pesos to the EN-Comunidad program, an initiative aimed at transforming indigenous, peasant, and Afro-descendant organizations into producers of their own electricity. However, by the time the agreement concluded in December 2025, none of the beneficiary communities had received the energy infrastructure works outlined in the program’s objectives.

The initiative was led by the Fund for Non-Conventional Energies and Efficient Energy Management (Fenoge), which signed an international cooperation agreement with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) for 27.815 billion pesos. The funds were earmarked for training, business strengthening, feasibility studies, and equipment for the participating organizations.

According to an investigation by Cambio, although the government’s minutes contemplated the operational launch of the community companies, funding to build the energy projects was not secured. The fund later stated that the works were not included in the scope of the agreement with the IOM and that being selected did not guarantee resources for their execution.

How the EN-Comunidad program was born and why the solar plants were not built

On May 29, 2023, during the tenure of then Minister of Mines and Energy Irene Vélez, the Fenoge steering committee approved the Community Energy Development financing mechanism.

The proposal aimed to enable peasant, indigenous, and Afro-descendant organizations to establish energy service companies and develop projects to generate electricity in their territories.

Initially, the mechanism was allocated a budget of 14.112 billion pesos and set a target of approximately 21 organizations. Its operation was structured around two financing lines: the first would cover training, the incorporation of companies, and the formulation of projects; the second would be dedicated to constructing the energy solutions.

However, funding for this final stage was not guaranteed from the outset, as its financing would depend on the results of the first phase and would need to be secured subsequently.

On July 24, 2023, Fenoge launched the national EN-Comunidad call for proposals, targeting community action boards, community councils, indigenous organizations, cooperatives, and other associations, particularly from vulnerable territories with limited access to electricity.

The call received 491 applications, of which 331 met the requirements to proceed in the process.

Months later, the government expanded the scope of the initiative. On November 29, 2023, under the administration of Minister Omar Andrés Camacho, the steering committee increased the budget to 27.902 billion pesos and expanded the target to approximately 49 organizations.

On December 28 of that year, the resource manager of Fenoge and the IOM signed an international cooperation agreement for 27.815 billion pesos. The organization was tasked with providing training, strengthening business capabilities, and formulating the technical aspects of the projects.

Although the agreement allowed for the financing of the first line of the mechanism, it did not secure the resources to build the solar plants.

The minutes of Fenoge contemplated the operational start-up of the community enterprises.

On July 16, 2024, the steering committee of Fenoge reviewed the program again. In a session chaired by Camacho and recorded in minutes 59, it was approved to expand coverage to approximately 60 organizations without increasing the budget.

At that meeting, it was reaffirmed that the mechanism had two funding lines: one to structure the community companies and another to implement their energy projects. Among the expected results, the so-called effective operational entry of those organizations was also maintained.

During the session, Camacho asked whether the beneficiaries of EN-Comunidad were included among the first 1,000 energy communities prioritized by the Government. The then-director of Fenoge, Ángela Patricia Álvarez Gutiérrez, responded that they were additional.

This meant that the selected organizations did not have guaranteed participation in other funding programs that would allow the execution of the works.

While the IOM was developing the training, accompanying the constitution of companies, and preparing feasibility studies, it had not been defined who would assume the construction costs.

As of the end of 2025, Fenoge reported 50 feasibility studies and five technical studies delivered to 55 organizations, 740 people trained, and 61 groups equipped with gear.

In its management and handover report dated December 31, 2025, the fund noted that communities were still awaiting the implementation of their projects and that moving forward to the construction phase required support and decisions from the government.

The document also recorded discrepancies with the IOM regarding disbursements and raised concerns about the quality of some delivered products, situations that complicated the settlement of the agreement.

Fenoge explained that being a beneficiary did not guarantee the construction of the projects.

In May 2026, the Association of Afro-Colombian Women Miners of Barranco de Loba, Victims of the Armed Conflict (Afrominba), filed a petition with Fenoge to inquire about the status of their project.

The director of the fund, Brayan Giraldo Ruiz, responded that EN-Comunidad had completed its execution in December 2025 and was in the process of liquidation.

The official explained that the selection of organizations did not guarantee the allocation of resources to build energy solutions, and that the installation of infrastructure exceeded the scope of the agreement signed with the IOM.

He also acknowledged that no individual process for the physical implementation of the energy projects had been carried out within the program.

As a result, the organizations received training, studies, support for establishing companies, and basic office supplies, but not the facilities to generate electricity.

Indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities are still waiting for the solar panels

One of the cases documented by the media outlet is that of Playita Copomá, an indigenous community in the Litoral del San Juan, in Chocó. There, a plot of land has been reserved since 2025 for the installation of solar panels that never arrived.

The community had been awaiting an energy solution since it joined the program. Meanwhile, the small power plant it relied on was damaged by an earthquake that also affected several homes.

Its governor, Robinson Cabezón Chamapuro, described the difficulties the territory faces due to the lack of electricity.

“We are a community founded in 2011, and we have never known electricity up to this point in 2026,” he stated.

At the Río Pichimá indigenous reserve, Iquino Cuero recounted that the community allocated a 100-square-meter plot for the installation of the panels and participated in training sessions through the Camagua association. However, nearly three years later, they had not received the equipment or any information about the works.

“We are beneficiaries of the project, but the truth is that we have not received this benefit to date,” he said.

The situation was also reported by Enol Chamarra Chiripúa, governor of Isla Bello in the Buenavista Indigenous Reserve, who had been participating in training sessions for over two years without seeing any progress on the project.

For his part, Willington Siciliano Siricúa, representative of the Tiberias community in the San Antonio de Togromá Indigenous Reserve, recalled that they had been promised solar panels to benefit 40 families, but these never arrived either.

In Barranco de Loba, Bolívar, Luz Neida Ardila, representative of Afrominba, showed the land selected in the San Antonio district to develop an initiative that would benefit, among other spaces, an educational institution.

The association participated in the training sessions and submitted the requested information, but construction never began. Ardila also explained that fluctuations in the electrical service have caused damage to household appliances such as refrigerators and washing machines.

“We do not understand why it stopped there,” she stated.

Another case involves the Santa María district, where, according to its leader, Harrison Javier Klinger, the community allocated a 12-hectare plot for a potential solar installation. After nearly two years of training and studies, the project had not yet been realized.

A $5.432 billion solar plant was left without funding

In Pueblo Nuevo Mejía, a district of San Martín de Loba in Bolívar, the community received training, office equipment, and a study to build a 159.6 kilowatt-peak solar plant, with an estimated cost of 5.432 billion pesos.

To develop the initiative, its members established Enerpume S.A.S. E.S.P., a community public utility company. However, the project did not secure financing for its construction.

A community representative interviewed by Cambio questioned how several organizations ended up with legally established companies but without the resources to make them operational. He warned that this situation could generate administrative and tax obligations for the associations.

“What is the point of having a registered company if there are no resources to make it work?” he asked.

Edwin Palma acknowledged that the communities were left without funding.

The EN-Comunidad program went through three Ministers of Mines and Energy: Irene Vélez, during its creation; Omar Andrés Camacho, when the budget and coverage were expanded; and Edwin Palma, who headed the ministry during the final stage of the agreement.

In response to Cambio, Palma acknowledged that the government did not fulfill the central purpose of the initiative. “In the core promise, not yet, and I am not going to sugarcoat it,” he stated.

The former minister explained that the first phase allowed for the formation of organizations and the drafting of projects, but admitted that the communities were left “halfway there,” without funding to build the energy plants.

Regarding the second phase, he maintained that it was never approved and that its funding depended on the results of the first phase. He also acknowledged that during his tenure, Fenoge did not submit a request for resources to the steering committee to build the projects.

Palma justified that decision based on observations regarding the quality of the studies submitted by IOM. According to him, committing resources to execute works on projects that were still under review would have been irresponsible.

The former minister also reported that Fenoge rejected two feasibility studies and was reviewing approximately COP 3.23 billion in costs reported by the OIM, citing potential cost overruns.

Additionally, he identified six events totaling COP 930.9 million whose connection to the agreement had not been substantiated. The preliminary reconciliation established a possible balance of COP 389.7 million in favor of the fund, subject to final liquidation.

Palma clarified that the nearly COP 28 billion corresponded to the total value of the agreement and not to the funds actually disbursed. During his tenure, he assured, COP 5.13 billion was transferred for equipment, while another disbursement of COP 7.392 billion was suspended due to non-compliance with requirements.

He also acknowledged that the contract did not include sufficient mechanisms to track OIM expenditures, a deficiency that prompted a finding by the Comptroller’s Office with potential disciplinary implications.

“I cannot guarantee that everything was executed exactly as promised,” he concluded.

The Comptroller’s Office faced difficulties in tracking the funds allocated under the agreement.

In September 2026, the media outlet reported that the Comptroller General of the Republic had faced difficulties in tracking the use of the $27.815 billion allocated under the agreement. Of that total, Fenoge contributed approximately $27.063 billion, while the IOM provided an additional $752 million.

The international organization managed the funds and contracted for activities under its own rules. However, the reports submitted to the oversight body categorized expenditures into broad categories, such as training and project formulation, without allowing for the precise identification of all suppliers, payments made, and their supporting documentation.

The agreement also did not explicitly require the submission of individual receipts for the IOM’s internal contracts. These conditions limited the ability to verify in detail the destination of the funds, although they do not in themselves constitute proof of fund misappropriation.

This is further compounded by the 2025 compliance audit of Fenoge, published in June 2026. The Comptroller’s Office issued a qualified opinion and identified five administrative findings, three of which may have disciplinary implications, related to supervision failures, delays, and planning issues. These findings do not specifically pertain to EN-Comunidad.