Countries Agree to Create Forum to Promote a Sustainable Energy Future in the Region

The officials responsible for energy planning in seven countries of the region met in Brazil on March 6, 2018 to discuss, identify and define the necessary steps for creating the “Regional Technical Forum of Energy Planners,” a space for sharing experiences and promoting modern planning aimed at greater energy security and affordable energy for all.

The preparatory meeting – organized by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), in association with Brazil’s Energy Research Company (EPE) – took place in the city of Rio de Janeiro, and brought together representatives from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Paraguay and Uruguay. In a positive environment marked by a broad discussion, these countries agreed to support implementation of this initiative, the objective of which is to promote a sustainable energy future in the region.

At the meeting, the President of EPE, Luiz Barroso, welcomed ECLAC and all the planners in attendance. “This is a key moment for energy planners in the region, given the new prospects for planning to be explored in this forum, which address the complementarity of energy sources in the region and their integration possibilities,” he said.

Subsequently, on March 8, the country representatives traveled to Brasilia, the capital of Brazil, to participate in the launch of the results of the ECOSUD (Energy Complementarity and Sustainable Development) program in that country. This activity was coordinated by ECLAC and the Brazilian Electricity Regulatory Agency (ANEEL).

The ECOSUD program aims to study the technical, economic, regulatory and political challenges affecting the transition to a sustainable energy model in Latin America, utilizing the complementarity of renewable energies in the region and the interconnections between countries, with a holistic and integrating perspective.

The gathering was led by the director of ANEEL, André Pepitone de la Nóbrega, and the Chief of the Natural Resources and Energy Unit of ECLAC’s Natural Resources and Infrastructure Division, Manlio Coviello. It was also attended by Brazil’s Secretary of Energy Planning from the Ministry of Mines and Energy, Eduardo Azevedo.