What is the impact of COVID-19 on the energy transition of the countries of the Latin American and Caribbean region? Future prospects

#SectorEnergiaEnTiemposDePandemia

Articles and webinars on the health crisis analyzing the impact on the energy sector.

¿Cuál es el impacto del COVID-19 sobre la transición energética de los países de la región de América Latina y el Caribe? Perspectivas a futuro

En la última década, la mayoría de los países de la región han puesto en funcionamiento políticas públicas con el objetivo de alcanzar el autoabastecimiento energético, y al mismo tiempo permitir una transición energética justa a fin de lograr seguridad de abastecimiento y equidad en el acceso energético. Esto ha quedado evidenciado en los procesos competitivos para el financiamiento de proyectos de energías renovables a través del mecanismo de subastas (OLACDE, 2019), y de los programas de acceso energético a través de fuentes renovables.

El objetivo de tales políticas apuntó a dejar de depender paulatinamente de fuentes energéticas primarias como el petróleo o el gas natural, con las fuertes implicancias que esta dependencia genera sobre el saldo de la balanza de pagos y la demanda divisas, que luego impactan finalmente en forma directa sobre el crecimiento económico de nuestros países. Al mismo tiempo, las políticas de promoción de energías renovables fueron impulsadas con el objetivo de mitigar los efectos del cambio climático. Esto adquirió especial relevancia desde el año 2015, en el cual diversos países de la región firmaron el Acuerdo de París en la 21ª Conferencia de las Partes (COP) de la Convención Marco de Naciones Unidas sobre Cambio Climático (CMNUCC) (OCDE/IAE, 2016). Bajo este acuerdo establecieron compromisos de reducción de emisiones de Gases de Efecto Invernadero (GEI) para lograr el objetivo global de mantener el aumento de la temperatura media mundial muy por debajo de 2 ºC con respecto a los niveles preindustriales (Art. 2).

Developed by:

Carina Guzowski-María Florencia Zabaloy

*The opinions expressed in this article correspond to the assessment of the author, therefore, they do not represent an institutional position of OLACDE, nor do they constitute a recommendation of the organization for decision making. The author is responsible for the consistency of the data and information used in the analysis carried out.

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What is the impact of COVID-19 on the energy transition of the countries of the Latin American and Caribbean region? Future prospects

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#SectorEnergiaEnTiemposDePandemia Articles and webinars on the health crisis analyzing the impact on the energy sector. ¿Cuál es el impacto del COVID-19 sobre la transición energética de los países de la región de América Latina y el Caribe? Perspectivas a futuro En la última década, la mayoría de los países de la región han puesto en […]

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Our academic programs offer executive courses, postgraduate diplomas, master’s degrees, and innovative initiatives focused on key areas such as the energy transition, conventional and renewable energy, electromobility, and regional integration.

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We strengthen South-South and triangular cooperation as key drivers to accelerate energy transitions across Latin America and the Caribbean. OLACDE unites efforts among governments, multilateral organizations, academic institutions, and the private sector to mobilize financing, technical expertise, and innovative solutions tailored to our regional context.

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