Colombia extends Caribbean 'shock' plan to La Guajira

Colombia's residential public services regulator Superservicios has extended its Plan Choque Caribe program to Riohacha as it seeks to address power and gas shortfalls in the country's north.

The latest phase of the initiative began in the Caribbean city, capital of La Guajira department, on Thursday and will end on July 30.

Superservicios workers have already inspected around 150,000 properties in Barranquilla, Montería, Sincelejo, Valledupar, Santa Marta and Cartagena since the program began last year.

The region requires investment of around 7tn pesos (US$2.5bn) to upgrade its crumbling power infrastructure following the collapse of local utility Electricaribe, the company's government-appointed liquidator Javier Lastra said in May.

Electricaribe is under the provisional control of Superservicios pending the appointment of a new operator.