Supporting Energy Integration in Latin America and the Caribbean

“In a view to generate institutional memory and to minimize the risks related to the mobility of trained staff, a planning manual was established in Uruguay which provides a detailed guide, clarifying which steps must be completed in order to develop or update relevant [energy] assessments and studies, and allows us to meet the objectives set for the year,” said Alejandra Reyes of the Uruguayan Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mines.

With the benefit of new data on energy production, distribution and consumption throughout the region, the project counterparts were able to identify opportunities to increase efficiencies and promote sustainable energy sources through greater cross-border transmission and integration.

“During the implementation of the previous regional project, we were able to verify that sub-regional energy integration would confer many benefits, namely lowered costs, stricter environmental controls and greater energy security,” said Antonio Herrera Cruz, the Deputy Minister of Energy Security and Infrastructure in the Dominican Republic.

“The implementation of the previous project allowed Paraguay to update its national energy projections all the way to 2050! IAEA capacity building has allowed us to visualize the medium- and long-term growth of electricity demand, and to estimate when it would exceed current generation capacities,” said Daniel Eliseo Puentes Albá, the Paraguayan national counterpart for the newly-launched regional project.

At the same time, the participants examined how energy, environmental and social policies outlined in each national energy plan aligned with the achievement of broader sustainable development and climate change mitigation goals throughout Latin America and the Caribbean.

“The global ambition to meet the goals established in the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda will depend on the ability of energy policy- and decision-makers to sustain and expand access to clean, affordable and reliable electricity,” said Loreta Stankeviciute, an IAEA Energy Systems Analyst who helped steer the workshop. “Energy underpins the provision of clean water, health services, education and communication. And so, in order to fuel development, we must identify the best means of producing and accessing power.”

 The November 2019 meeting was also used to launch a new TC project[2], which aims to integrate the recently-developed national and sub-regional energy studies into an overarching regional plan for sustainable energy development in the region. The attending national counterparts explored a range of questions, including: Can neighbouring countries offer cheaper sources of energy? Can energy providers elsewhere in the region meet demands for baseline power, allowing neighbouring countries to further invest in renewable technologies? Would a single, regional energy market help to optimise use of energy resources and increase efficiencies? These topics will be clarified as the project counterparts work on the development of a new, regional integration plan, expected to be produced by the end of the 2020-2021 TC Cycle.  

[1] RLA2016, ‘Supporting Formulation of Plans for Sustainable Energy Development at a Sub‑regional Level - Stage II (ARCAL CLIII)’

[2] RLA2017, ‘Supporting the Preparation of Sustainable Energy Development Plans at a Regional Level (ARCAL CLXVI)’