Colombia:

Geothermal Project in Colombia Succeeds Through Participatory Development (Renewable Energy World.com)

An aerial view of Volcan Nevado del Ruiz and surrounding areas. Credit: Dewhurst

A carefully planned social impact assessment is necessary for successful and sustainable geothermal projects in the developing world and a new project in Colombia does just that.

Anyone involved with infrastructure development knows all too well the effects that projects have on local communities. These effects can be positive or negative, but experience tells us that social and political conflict seems to be an inevitable part of the development process. In places with existing social, political, and economic turmoil, the risk of conflict is high and begins at the earliest stages of exploration and planning.

In corporate lingo, companies speak of “risk mitigation” when preparing to go into such regions. They calculate costs and benefits and develop risk mitigation strategies as they would for any sort of calculable risk whether it be social, environmental, or economic.

However, when it comes to geothermal projects, this strategy is inherently flawed. The geothermal industry needs to take greater steps both to address conflict and place a greater emphasis on social responsibility and sustainability.

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