Latin America and Caribbean
The Latin America and Caribbean region has seen tremendous transformation in energy markets over the past few decades. The transformation has been progressive and fostered by the desire to attract private capital, achieve better energy independence, improve resilience in the face of erratic weather patterns, and build an energy sector that is more sustainable and capable of leveraging native resources.
Since the very first sector reforms in the 1980s, Latin American and Caribbean governments have increasingly been paving the way for private sector participation through deregulation and privatization. LEI has been a key partner to stakeholders in the region, providing thought leadership and technical assistance to both the public sector, including government agencies, utilities, legislators, and regulatory authorities, and the private sector, including infrastructure investors, private developers, and others.
With public sector clients, LEI has been involved on matters ranging from public policy and institutional framework design, regulatory review, to engaging with stakeholders to define strategy and frameworks to boost the participation of private investors in the market.
In the private sector, LEI has been key in educating and guiding project developers and new “entrants” through market risks identification, and their impact on projects’ viability and financing. LEI has performed several engagements related to wholesale market price forecasts, market modeling, asset valuation, and strategic advisory.
We are knowledgeable about developments in both electricity and natural gas markets in the Caribbean countries. Islands face unique challenges in terms of dependence on imported fuels and materials, resiliency to climate change, small populations, and difficult physical environments. LEI has trained utility and regulatory staff, helped develop generation plans, assessed the role of renewables and distributed energy resources (“DERs”), and created detailed long term tariff models.
Furthermore, thanks to our staff of French, Portuguese and Spanish native speakers, we provide profound understanding of the local markets as well as convenience in communication. We have worked in many jurisdictions across the region, including but not limited to:
- Argentina
- Barbados
- Bolivia
- Brazil
- Chile
- Colombia
- Dominican Republic
- El Salvador
- Guatemala
- Haiti
- Mexico
- Nicaragua
- Panama
- Peru
- Puerto Rico.
