Energy Communities and Social Acceptance initiatives: A comparative perspective between Indigenous Territories in Colombia and Local Communities in EU

Seminar Overview

The first part of the seminar will focus on three case studies from La Guajira, Colombia (EPM, AES Colombia, ENEL), addressing the Colombian government’s introduction of energy communities. The companies will present the background of this initiative and their involvement in its implementation. Additionally, they will outline their strategies for gaining social acceptance of wind energy projects in Indigenous territories.

The second part of the seminar will shift to Europe, presenting concrete examples and lessons learned from energy communities and the social acceptance tools and mechanisms developed in Europe.

The objective of the seminar is to provide a comparative perspective on how energy communities and social acceptance strategies are implemented in different contexts.

Program

14:00 - 14:15:
Welcome and Introduction 

14:15  - 14:30 
Case Study 1: Empresas Públicas de Medellín (EPM)
María Teresa Bautista González
Environmental and Social Professional – Environmental and Social Management Unit, EPM

14:30 - 14:45:
Case Study 2: AES Colombia
Diego Patrón Arcila
General Manager, Jemeiwaa Ka I (AES Colombia)

14:45 - 15:00 
Case Study 3: ENEL 
Mónica Uribe Mariño
Head of Sustainability and Circular Economy, Power Generation Colombia and Central America (ENEL)

15:00 - 15:15 
Energy Communities 
Isabel Fróes 
Assistant professor, Department of Management, Society and Communication, CBS
Amalia Giannakopoulou
Research Assistant, Department of Management, Society and Communication, CBS
Albina Dioba
Postdoctoral researcher, Department of Management Society and Communication, CBS

15:15 - 15:30 
Social Acceptance 
Roopali Bhatnagar
Postdoctoral researcher, Department of Management Society and Communication, CBS

15:30 - 16:00 
Open dialogue and questions from the audience.

This seminar is part of the project 'Professionalism as a Foundation for Commitment', supported by the International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA) and Copenhagen Business School (CBS), with funding provided by CISU (Civil Society in Development).