A rural community of the municipality of Venadillo, Tolima, presented a right of petition before the Attorney General, in which he denounced that the Regional Autonomous Corporation of Tolima (Cortolima) denied “arbitrarily the environmental license to a solar project that had been socialized, accompanied and backed by the inhabitants of the territory“
The complaint, signed by the president of the Community Action Board (JAC) of the Vereda Cofradía – Gallego, Eduard Ferley Carrillo Aranzalez, indicates that: “We are witnessing how the corporation intends to violate the right to work, to a healthy environment, because we understand what renewable energy and environmental decarbonization implies”
The project in question is called Los Venados, and is promoted by the International Voltalia company. The objective is to install a photovoltaic plant of 15 megawatts and a transmission line of 34.5 kV in the rural area of Venadillo.
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The investment of more than 10 million dollars was planned, and, for the Community represented an employment, technical training and clean energy generation opportunity. But everything was slowed by a cortolima resolution that, according to the complaint, did not know the popular will, dismissed technical evidence and issued a decision without proportional justification.
Communal leader Carrillo not only questions Cortolima’s decision, but also the treatment “displicant that the corporation gave to the community“. In the letter sent to the Attorney General’s Office, the JAC representative recounts that on May 2 there was a formal request to know the state of the environmental procedure, and that the answer they received was superficial and disrespectful with the process:”In a displicant way they answer that they were in the projection of the administrative act, without responding in the background, which continues to intrigue us”
Excess CO2 emissions accentuates the greenhouse effect
According to a report published by the University of Ibagué in 2024, Venadillo (Tolima) has
A rural economy concentrated in agriculture, livestock and local commerce. In 2021, Its added value was only 1.07%, reflecting low industrialization and few productive options. To this is added an unemployment rate of 12% in Tolima (Dane, 2024).
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Cortolima’s silence has increased concern within a community that expected an opportunity for Work and development for a municipality that is being beaten by unemployment.
“The community has been very close. First, in the socializations made by Voltalia before doing any job. Second, the labor staff they needed hired him in the area. Then the people of the sidewalk can attest to all the technical work that the company did to be able to
Present the documents to Cortolima”, Explained the communal leader.
Carrillo also points out that community members were used for the collection of technical information, participated in field activities and were in the process of training with SENA to obtain technical certification. In fact, The project included improvements in the village infrastructure and offered real work outputs in an area with few opportunities.
In fact, The community has assured that Voltalia has made a presence in the territory since 2023 and that the process with Cortolima began in April 2024.
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According to the company, despite the fact that the 41 requirements made by Cortolima were met, environmental studies, technical modeling and field tests were deliveredthe Corporation issued a negative concept without recognizing the value of citizen participation or technical work executed rigorously.
In the complaint filed by the JAC of Cofradía – Gallego reveals a blunt fact: the community was not ignored by the company, but by the authority. Post, he said, the company made visits, socialized the project, hired local staff and articulated training processes.
With the resolution of Cortolima, they are lost:
● Direct and indirect jobs in the municipality.
● Technical training processes for rural young people.
● A reduction of 23,000 tons of annual co₂.
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