IFLR speaks with Lisa Viscidi, director of the Energy, Climate Change and Extractive Industries program at the Inter-American Dialogue. Viscidi analyses recent developments in Latin America’s energy markets, particularly in relation to broadsweep energy market reforms in Brazil and Mexico.
If the region increases renewables to 80% of the electricity matrix and expands integration, countries can save billions of dollars in investments, avoid blackouts and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, argue Lisa Viscidi and Ariel Yépez.
Energy continues to be a bright spot in the US-Latin America relationship and new developments, like an uptick in US LNG exports, offer opportunities to increase energy security and cooperation across the Western Hemisphere.
Latin America faces many challenges in developing its energy resources and providing clean, affordable and reliable energy. With presidential elections in Brazil, Mexico and Colombia next year, there is considerable uncertainty about future energy policy, as potential candidates in these countries have presented widely varying energy and economic policy platforms.
As Latin America moves towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions and fulfilling its Paris commitments, it must also work to meet rapidly growing electricity demand, which is projected to almost double by 2040.
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Lisa Viscidi, Director of the Energy, Climate Change and Extractive Industries Program, testified before the US House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs on the subject of “Energy Opportunities in Latin America.”
While the Trump administration’s “America first” policies are aimed primarily at giving higher priority to national security and economic growth for the United States, the White House’s approach will have impacts on energy relations with the rest of the hemisphere that should also be considered.
The agreements of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and COP21 in Paris put Latin American governments in a crucial stage to take action by developing adequate policies to scale up investments in renewable energy and making alliances to receive capacity-building and technological support.
Though the COP21 negotiations promise to be complex, they also present an opportunity for the region to address existing vulnerabilities.
The hydrocarbons sector is at a turning point. Low prices and uncertain projections, competition for market share, geopolitical dynamics, growing environmental and social concerns, and questions about the future of fossil fuel and renewable energy sources necessitate analysis and discussion about the present and future of the industry and the challenges…
The electrification of the transportation sector is crucial to reducing carbon emissions and tackling global climate change.
Given their close proximity to the United States, LAC countries are well-positioned to capitalize on the surplus of US gas exports and current buyer’s market.
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High electricity costs are a critical impediment to economic growth and competitiveness in Central America and the Caribbean.
How are recent energy policy changes in Brazil, Mexico, and elsewhere shaping the outlook for solar development in the medium to longer term?
Brazil’s oil and gas and electricity sectors are an important destination for Chinese direct investment.
