# Santa Marta electricity and energy regulation disputes

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/santa-marta-electricity-and-energy-regulation-disputes
> Updated: 2026-09-13T20:13:00.000Z. Sources: 4. Developments: 2.

Santa Marta is experiencing significant electricity challenges involving regulatory costs and infrastructure instability. A legal injunction has been filed against the Ministry of Mines and Energy and the Energy and Gas Regulatory Commission (CREG) to block additional charges for consumers exceeding consumption targets during energy scarcity. Petitioners argue that CREG’s methodology is inequitable because it fails to account for the extreme temperatures in the Caribbean region, which require constant cooling.

Concurrently, the utility provider Air-e reported that approximately 40% of Santa Marta’s neighborhoods operate under subnormal electrical networks characterized by overloaded transformers and frequent fluctuations. The provider attributed much of this instability to fraudulent connections, which account for an estimated 33% of energy loss, and has requested public funding to address the aging and unplanned infrastructure.

## Timeline

### 2026-09-13: Santa Marta faces high property tax delinquency

Santa Marta reports that 67% of taxpayers have failed to pay their property taxes, leaving a debt exceeding 249,000 million pesos and threatening future municipal investment.

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/santa-marta-faces-high-property-tax-delinquency

### 2026-09-09: Santa Marta faces electricity cost disputes and grid instability

Santa Marta faces electricity crises as legal challenges target new consumption-based surcharges while Air-e reports that 40% of the city's neighborhoods suffer from unstable, subnormal power networks.

3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/santa-marta-faces-electricity-cost-disputes-and-grid-instability

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Cite as: Santa Marta electricity and energy regulation disputes. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/santa-marta-electricity-and-energy-regulation-disputes