My new publication: “Public-Private Partnership in Energy Infrastructures: Experiences in Latin America”

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Energy infrastructures in Latin America deserve a particular study with regard to Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs). Its different regulatory frameworks and degrees of institutional and operational maturity, make them to have a unique map of risks, policies and best practices. My publication on “PPPs in the Energy Infrastructures: experiences in Latin America” thus is proposed. The demographic increase and the economic growth of the Latin America countries emphasize the need for large investments in infrastructure to reduce the gap, which are also linked to their plans for sustainable development, climate action and interconnection to the infrastructures of the region (for example, electrical networks, gas pipelines and gasification terminals), and the regional energy markets. It is expected that the Public-Private Partnerships can funnel these investments. To do this, governments must create an environment in which the private sector can grow, by developing transparent regulatory frameworks. These reforms should gain the confidence of investors in these countries, which now compete with the other countries in a globalized world, to attract Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to their energy markets. All this leads to reforms in each country in order to establish a more attractive environment to do business. A new field of opportunities opens up, driven by the national and international expansion plans of the private sector, and the search for better returns by the large investment funds in a context of low interest rates. In this scenario, the International Financial Institutions (IFI) must continue supporting infrastructure development.

Publication available on http://www.scioteca.caf.com/handle/123456789/1225

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Climate change and hydropower generation: the Latin America case

According to news published by the World Meteorological Organization in February 2014, parts of the world have witnessed a series of extreme weather conditions in the first six weeks of 2014, continuing a pattern that was set in December 2013.

Much of the U.S. has experienced cold waves and major winter storms, whilst California remains gripped by drought. The United Kingdom has seen its wettest December-January period on record, with severe, widespread and prolonged flooding. A combination of strong winds, storms and high tides caused damage and flooding in other coastal areas of Europe. There has been unusually heavy snowfall in the Southern Alps. Monthly mean temperatures were extremely high from eastern Mongolia to eastern China. In the Southern hemisphere, Australia, Argentina and Brazil experienced extended heat waves.

Source: Japan Meteorological Agency Tokyo Climate Center

In Argentina, the period of unusual heat, which started in December 2013, continued through January and into February, especially in central and northern regions, with a number of local heat records being set. Parts of Brazil experienced the hottest January on record. An energy blackout early February affected six million people and hit eleven states of Brazil, six of which are scheduled to host the 2014 World Cup next June. Apparently a peak of demand caused by a heat wave had the grid down.

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