Chapter 5 - Energy transition in the Latin America region: Initiatives and challenges

Abstract

The process of energy transition in the Latin America region and its initiatives and challenges are approached in this chapter. In the Latin America region, the process of energy transition began in the 1970s or precisely in 1973 in Brazil and Paraguay with the development of the Itaipu Treaty which resulted in the construction of the Itaipu dam from 1974 to 1984, a large source of hydropower. Other energy transition initiatives emerged in the region over the following decades, such as the Proalcool programme, which started in 1975 in Brazil after the first oil shock that occurred in 1973, among others. As we know, there have been several initiatives that have encouraged the process of energy transition in various countries in the Latin America region. However, these initiatives have come up against structural problems in some Latin American countries such as Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico. Indeed, among initiatives and challenges of the energy transition, this chapter also demonstrates a successful case of energy transition in the region.