Latin America News

Latest news and developments from Latin America region

• IaDB loans USD280 million to Ecuador for transformation of energy grid

  June 8, 2020
  The Inter-American Development Bank (IaDB) has approved a loan worth USD280 million to Ecuador, which will used for the transformation of the country’s energy grid, improvements in energy efficiency, and promotion of access to electricity generated from renewable sources.

• ANEEL extends deadline for non-priority projects due to COVID-19 in Brazil

  June 4, 2020
  Brazilian energy regulator, Agência Nacional de Energia Elétrica (ANEEL), has decided to sanction the extension of the deadlines for the commercial operation of non-priority transmission projects by four months, due to the global outbreak of COVID-19.

• Honduras attempts to implement General Law of Electricity Sector

  June 2, 2020
  Recently, the Ministry of Finance in the Honduras announced that it has approved USD600 million in sovereign bonds as a step to implement the Ley General de la Industria Eléctrica (LGIE) or the General Law of the Electrical Industry.

• Works on Roraima transmission line delayed due to COVID-19 in Brazil

  June 1, 2020
  Brazilian state-owned power company, Centrais Elétricas Brasileiras S.A. (Eletrobras), has announced that the works for the transmission line passing from Roraima to the country's grid network have been stalled, due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Two substation projects receive environmental permits in Chile

  June 1, 2020
  Two transmission substation projects in Chile have recently received their environmental permits.

• Peruvian COES releases USD1.3 billion transmission plan for 2021-30

  June 1, 2020
  Peru’s electricity grid operator, Comité de Operación Económica del Sistema Interconectado Nacional (COES) has released its preliminary transmission plan for 2021-30.

• Mexican CRE approves new rates for electricity providers [free access]

  May 29, 2020
  Mexico’s energy regulatory commission, Comisión Reguladora de Energía (CRE), has approved the new rates that private electricity providers must pay to the national power utility, Comision Federal de Electricidad (CFE), for power transmission.

• Brazilian TESA energises Itabirito 2–Vespasiano 2 transmission line

  May 26, 2020
  Brazilian Transmissora Aliança de Energia Elétrica S.A. (TESA) has energised the 500 kV, 85 km Itabirito 2–Vespasiano 2 transmission line in Minas Gerais state.

• ENDE constructs 245 kV substations for Santa Cruz Wind Project in Argentina

  May 25, 2020
  ENDE Transmisión SA Bolivia and its subsidiary ENDE Transmision Argentina SA (ETASA) are constructing the substations of the Santa Cruz Wind Project, which includes the Warnes, San Julián and El Dorado wind farms in Argentina.

• Colombian UPME issues preliminary document for energy storage system

  May 21, 2020
  Colombian mining and energy planning unit, Unidad de Planeación Minero Energética (UPME), has issued a preliminary document for inviting bids for selecting investors and auditors for the design, acquisition of supplies, construction, and operation and maintenance of storage systems for electrical energy with batteries, in the department of Atlántico.

• Colombian GEB completes 500 kV La Loma substation [free access]

  May 20, 2020
  Colombian Grupo Energía Bogotá (GEB) has completed the 500 kV La Loma substation in Cesar, Colombia.

• Brazilian government considers BRL12 billion emergency loan for power sector

  May 15, 2020
  Reportedly, the government of Brazil is considering providing BRL12 billion in emergency loans to help power utilities to deal with the financial crunch caused by COVID-19.

• Board of ANEEL reopens public consultation on transmission auction in Brazil

  May 12, 2020
  The Board of the Brazilian energy regulator, Agência Nacional de Energia Elétrica (ANEEL), has approved the reopening of public consultation No. 46/2019 to analyse the announcement of transmission Auction No. 1/2020, according to the guidelines defined by the Ministro de Minas e Energia (MME) or Ministry of Mines and Energy, Brazil.

• Mainstream Renewable Power Chile awards five power projects [free access]

  May 7, 2020
  Mainstream Renewable Power Chile has signed contracts for the construction of five transmission lines to connect the company’s three wind warms and two solar farms to the Chilean national grid.

• Paraguay’s ANDE receives bids for 220/66/23 kV Alto Paraná substation

  May 7, 2020
  Paraguay’s state-owned power company, Administración Nacional de Electricidad (ANDE), has received 10 bids for the ‘Construction and Interconnection Project of the Alto Paraná 220/66/23 kV Substation’.

• Panama’s ASEP approves Pesin 2019-33 and postpones Fourth Line project

  May 7, 2020
  Panama's public services regulator, Autoridad Nacional de los Servicios Publicos (ASEP), has approved the Plan de Expansión del Sistema Interconectado Nacional (Pesin) 2019-33 or Expansion Plan of the National Interconnected System (Pesin) 2019-33, of the state-owned electricity transmission company, Empresa de Transmision Electrica (ETESA).

• Paraguay’s ANDE receives three bids for 500 kV reactor banks for Villa Hayes substation

  May 5, 2020
  Paraguay’s state-owned power company, Administración Nacional de Electricidad (ANDE), has received three bids for the construction and installation of 500 kV reactor banks for the Villa Hayes substation.

• Brazilian EPE publishes PET/PELP 2020 with investment of BRL30 billion

  April 27, 2020
  Brazil’s energy agency Empresa de Pesquisa Energética (EPE) has published the Programa de Expansão da Transmissão (PET)/Plano de Expansão de Longo Prazo (PELP) 2020 (first semester) document, containing information about all expansion works required for the power transmission network of the country.

• Chilean CNE extends proposal submission date for 2020 transmission plan till May 27

  April 27, 2020
  Chilean national energy commission, Comisión Nacional de Energía (CNE), has extended the date to submit transmission network expansion projects proposals by 30 days till May 27, 2020, considering the state of ‘constitutional exception of catastrophes’, due to the worldwide COVID-19 outbreak.

• Brazil government postpones privatisation of Eletrobras to June 2021

  April 24, 2020
  The federal government of Brazil announced that the privatisation of state-owned power company, Centrais Elétricas Brasileiras S.A. (Eletrobras), would complete by the second quarter of 2021.