Río Negro is working on a specific tariff for distributed generation and storage , while also seeking to accelerate the development of medium-scale renewable projects as an alternative to the limitations of the electricity transport system in Patagonia.
The definition is part of the agenda promoted by the Provincial Secretariat of Electric Energy together with the Provincial Electricity Regulatory Entity (EPRE), at a time when capacity restrictions are beginning to condition the arrival of new large-scale projects.
“The major bottleneck is that Patagonia cannot accommodate large projects, and the infrastructure to reach both is very complicated. We are aiming for smaller power plants until the situation is resolved, such as 15 MW capacity plants in various large or developing cities,” stated Santiago Yanotti , Secretary of Electric Energy for Río Negro.
The official acknowledges that the main obstacle to expanding installed capacity is not the availability of energy resources. On the contrary, the province has wind, solar, hydroelectric, gas, and nuclear potential. The problem lies in the infrastructure needed to connect the new generation capacity.
The situation necessitates a rethinking of the development strategy. While efforts continue to expand transport capacity, the province is seeking to attract investment through initiatives distributed across various locations. These include private proposals to install solar power plants in Bariloche and Fernández Oro.
In parallel, the provincial government is preparing regulatory changes to incorporate new technologies into the electricity system.
“We will implement a distributed generation tariff, with the user as an active agent of the service, and not just receiving a poor quality bill,” Yanotti stated.
“At EPRE, there is a chapter on the new tariff scheme. We are conducting specific studies on both distributed generation and storage to see what tools we can make available to users to incentivize this and provide predictability and sustainability in relation to the grid,” added Juan Justo, president of the Provincial Electricity Regulatory Entity (EPRE).
The measure aims to recognize the role of users who invest in self-consumption, storage and demand management systems, a trend that is gaining ground in different electricity markets in the region.
Currently, Argentina has 4,423 user-generators under Law No. 27,424, with an installed capacity of 149.3 MW. In Río Negro, there are 62 user-generators totaling 1.06 MW in operation and another 23 projects in process for an additional 1.12 MW.
Regulatory flexibility to incorporate new technologies
Adapting the regulatory framework has emerged as another key aspect of management. EPRE understands that the speed of technological change demands more dynamic rules than those traditionally considered in tariff reviews.
“ Regarding our mission to oversee the performance of distributors, the specific lines of action are to move towards real-time control, strengthen control mechanisms, move towards regulatory innovation, tariff innovation, and incorporate new technological advances linked to new storage and generation methods into the tariff structure ,” explains Juan Justo , president of the agency.
The discussion is taking place in parallel with the tariff review of EDERSA, a process that the regulator considers an opportunity to introduce tools that accompany the transformation of the sector.
“ We are going through the tariff review to incorporate all the new variables with a flexibility that the times require because there are still many open chapters ,” Justo points out.
One of the aspects under analysis is to prevent those who invest in self-consumption from facing contradictory economic signals, while also expanding the participation of small and medium-sized enterprises in this segment, so that the Federal Investment Council would finance the fees of energy managers trained to support the development of projects.
For the regulator, the goal going forward is not only to resolve tariff or administrative issues, but to build a scheme capable of adapting to a transformation process that is just beginning.