TERRɅ INITIɅTIVE PARTNERS SUMMIT IN NABUSIMAKE MARKS THE START OF CONSTRUCTION OF ITS FIRST PHASE

Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia | December 29, 2025

On December 13 and 14, 2025, Mamüs and Traditional Authorities of the Arhuaco People, together with Greenwood Energy [GWE], hosted the TERRɅ INITIɅTIVE Partners Summit in Nabusimake, the ancestral capital of the Arhuaco People in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, ‘the Heart of the World’. Held in the context of the start of construction of TERRɅ Site I, the first phase of the initiative—located in the municipality of El Copey, department of Cesar—the summit brought together the leading organizations and individuals involved in the project. Attendees included representatives from Libra Group, ImpactA Global, SierraCol Energy, Corpocesar, Nitro Energy, OTACC, and G-Advisory, among others.

The summit agenda was led by the Mamüs of the Kankurwas of Seykúmuke, Numa’ka, and Tirugeka, and included community meetings, traditional practices, guided visits, and moments of shared reflection that fostered a deep cultural exchange between guests and the community.

This summit marks a significant milestone not only for TERRɅ INITIɅTIVE, but also in the relationship between GWE and the Arhuaco People, which began more than six years ago under a shared vision of sustainable development. Throughout the structuring process of this joint project, that relationship has evolved into an unprecedented alliance between an Indigenous community and a private company. Through complementarity and trust, both parties have succeeded in establishing a new model for the development of energy projects.

By combining ancestral wisdom and modern technology, territorial presence and global reach, as well as local needs and corporate objectives, this partnership has crystallized a new way of reimagining development—one that is more human and aligned with our Mother Earth. As a result, a multi-ethnic and multidisciplinary team has been consolidated, in which technical capacity and ancestral knowledge converge in the search for resilient solutions to one of the most pressing challenges of our time: a just energy transition.

With Bichün—the sacred tree located on the eastern flank of Nabusimake—as its epicenter, more than 200 Mamüs, authorities, and community members welcomed nearly 40 guests from the United Kingdom, the United States, Spain, Argentina, Colombia, and Panama, with whom the start of activities associated with the construction of TERRɅ Site I was officially announced. Throughout the summit, the hosts emphasized the importance of complementarity between the company and the community in overcoming the various challenges faced along the path to this milestone.

Guido Patrignani, member of GWE’s Board of Directors and co-founder of TERRɅ INITIɅTIVE, explained: “Thanks to the guidance and support of the Mamüs, Greenwood Energy long ago stopped thinking in terms of solutions to difficult problems and began thinking in terms of solutions to impossible problems—those that require miracles to be resolved. TERRɅ is irrefutable proof of what this relationship is capable of achieving. The heartbeat begins in the Heart of the World, but it expands to other regions that need it.”

For his part, Gabriel Izquierdo Villafañe [‘Mamü Kuncha’], Principal Mamü of the Original Kankurwa of Seykúmuke, stated: “We are convinced that once construction is completed, this project will make a profound difference. Throughout its development, we have encountered many impossibilities, but none have been eternal. Despite everything, we have persevered, and today we have reached a decisive stage along this path.”

TERRɅ INITIɅTIVE envisions the construction of 156 MWp of solar plants connected to Colombia’s National Interconnected System [“SIN”], together with the development of three new Indigenous villages. Both components will be jointly located at various sites in the lower areas of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, close to the perimeter of the Arhuaco ancestral territory, thereby ensuring minimal environmental impact, which will be compensated within the project area through a combined traditional and technical mechanism.

Materializing the community components aimed at territorial recovery, environmental conservation, and the strengthening of Arhuaco autonomy, the project’s first phase includes 52 MWp of solar capacity and the first TERRɅ Indigenous village. In addition, the project includes the payment of an Environmental Fee to the community for each kilowatt-hour sold to the grid, which will finance a land acquisition and preservation fund managed by the Arhuaco People themselves. Furthermore, all solar assets will be transferred to the community after 25 years of operation.

Marcos Páez, GWE’s Country Manager for Colombia, shared: “TERRɅ’s vision invites us to continuously reflect on how to do things differently within a deeply challenging national and regional context. It involves taking on the challenge of opening a new path in the way projects are developed, aware that many are observing this process to draw lessons and generate their own initiatives. This not only brings us great satisfaction, but also a deep commitment to move forward with resilience, working in true co-development between the teams of the Arhuaco People and Greenwood Energy.”

Noel Torres, Secretary General of the Mamüs of Seykúmuke and Numa’ka and co-founder of TERRɅ, added: “TERRɅ is a project born from the thinking of the Arhuaco People. With Greenwood Energy, we have found a shared vision of the future: caring for the territory. We will walk together so that the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta continues to be cared for and protected, with unity and respect, through our word.”

In this way, together with the main partners of TERRɅ Site I, the Arhuaco People and Greenwood Energy officially announced in Nabusimake the start of the project’s first works in El Copey. NI’KUMA—the Association of Mamüs and Traditional Authorities of the Arhuaco People—will be the Indigenous organization responsible for the construction of the first TERRɅ Village and is currently in the final coordination stage to begin works during the first quarter of 2026.

The village’s design, conceived through traditional processes guided by the Mamüs, includes the construction of 126 dwellings for community, spiritual, and residential use, and will accommodate more than 350 community members. This first TERRɅ Village, named “The Dawn Star,” represents an initial step within a broader process of territorial recovery and the strengthening of Arhuaco autonomy.

Xiomara Valencia, GIT Coordinator for Environmental License Monitoring at Corpocesar, noted: “In the development of TERRɅ, a fundamental principle was applied: to understand in order to protect. The relationship between Greenwood Energy and the Arhuaco People is an exemplary process that deserves recognition and support. They have successfully integrated, in a responsible and respectful manner, the communities that will benefit from the project.”

With the start of civil works, the deployment of electrical infrastructure, and the execution of the engineering associated with TERRɅ Site I, the project is moving into its materialization phase on the ground. The two solar plants that make up this first phase are expected to enter commercial operation in March 2027, contributing 52 MWp of clean energy to Colombia’s power grid and consolidating one of the most significant milestones in the just energy transition in Latin America.

Juan Pablo Crane, Chief Executive Officer of GWE, concluded: “The start of construction of TERRɅ Site I confirms that it is possible to develop high-standard energy infrastructure when respect for the territory, culture, and people is at the center of decision-making. With TERRɅ, we are advancing a just energy transition, demonstrating that it is not an abstract concept but a concrete process built over time through dialogue and shared responsibility.”

Announcing the construction phase in Nabusimake reaffirms the centrality of ancestral territory in the project’s decision-making and consolidates a development model that indivisibly integrates technical, ancestral, and environmental dimensions. With this milestone, TERRɅ INITIɅTIVE enters an implementation phase that materializes years of dialogue, trust, and joint construction. The start of on-the-ground works, together with the progress of “The Dawn Star,” lays the foundation for a project that transforms realities: delivering clean energy while simultaneously strengthening community, culture, and the protection of the Heart of the World.

The summary video of the TERRɅ INITIɅTIVE Partners Summit is available here.

 

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