중남미

Energy vulnerability studies are conducted to identify and address the multidimensional causes of energy problems of a territory. Colombia faces substantial energy challenges, including sustained excess demand, slow supply expansion, rising tariffs, flow intermittency and power instability. It is a tropical developing country undergoing an energy transition and characterized by significant cultural, geographical, and demographic diversity. This article assesses the energy vulnerability of Colombia`s 32 departments and its capital district through a Multidimensional Energy Vulnerability Index (MEVI). The MEVI is a measure ranging from 0 to 1 that evaluates energy vulnerability through 12 indicators across four dimensions: social, environmental, technical, and economic. To construct the index, a multivariate analysis using Cronbach`s Alpha was conducted, and the min-max normalization method was employed. Additionally, a specific weighting system of the dimensions accompanied by an additive aggregation function was utilized to synthesize the various indicators into a unified index. Furthermore, a sensitivity analysis was performed to assess the robustness of the index, incorporating variations in key inputs such as the weighting scheme and data processing methods. The mean energy vulnerability score was 0.6, indicating that the departments of Colombia do not have extreme energy vulnerability. The territories with the highest energy vulnerability include the Departments of Vaupés, Guainía, Vichada, and Amazonas. In these cases, effective government policy is necessary to provide more energy security, which requires improvements across nearly all indicators involved in the calculation of the index. A discussion on the policies that could be implemented is presented in the document.