The 1258 MW awarded through PEG-5 in 57 projects open a new stage for Guatemala's electricity sector and, at the same time, demand expanding the available human capital to transform that contracted capacity into built, interconnected and operational infrastructure.
At Galileo University, they are already observing signs that the training of specialists is not keeping pace. “What we are seeing is that the sector's growth is advancing faster than the training of the specialized human capital it needs,” warned M.Sc. Lourdes Socarrás , director of the university's Institute of Energy Resources.
The pressure could intensify with the upcoming procurement processes. Guatemala has approved Open Tender 1-2026 to cover 300 MW , corresponding to the remaining unawarded capacity in PEG-5 and new needs associated with demand growth, while the sector's agenda keeps new generation and transmission expansions on the horizon.
The evidence also appears in the labor market: students and graduates are quickly incorporated by companies in the sector and the institution receives frequent requests for professionals with increasingly specific skills.
The new scenario requires knowledge in project design and development, operation, storage, digitization, regulation, electricity market, transmission, environmental and social management, territorial management, legal aspects, permits and financial structuring .
PEG-5 allows us to understand the scale of the phenomenon. The 57 projects will have to go through different stages of development, permits, financing, construction, interconnection and subsequent operation, which extends the demand for professionals to practically the entire life cycle of the initiatives.
“The human capital challenge is not only about having enough engineers to build new plants, it is about having the entire ecosystem of professionals capable of converting the investment and awarded projects into energy infrastructure that is effectively built and operating,” Socarrás stated.
The magnitude of the transformation increases when considering that approximately 73% of the awarded capacity corresponds to renewable technologies , with a strong presence of hybrid solar solutions with storage.
Furthermore, PEG-5 achieved an average single-unit price of $101/MWh , below current contract prices, according to additional information provided for this article, reinforcing the competitiveness achieved by these solutions.
Each power plant will require technical and feasibility studies, financial structuring, permits, environmental and social impact assessments, engineering, equipment acquisition, construction, grid connection, commissioning, operation, and maintenance. Therefore, the demand for human capital begins several years before a plant starts generating power.
The simultaneous nature of the initiatives could accentuate the competition for profiles with specific experience among developers, contractors, and other companies involved in the value chain.
“We need to start preparing that human capital now, not when the projects are going into construction,” the executive emphasized.
BESS, networks and Project Managers: the profiles that are gaining ground
Among the technical profiles currently demanded by the market are electrical, electromechanical and electronic engineers , as well as renewable energy specialists for the design, construction, supervision, commissioning, operation and maintenance of isolated and, fundamentally, grid-connected photovoltaic projects.
The market transformation is also driving demand for professionals who combine technical knowledge with management skills. One of the profiles the interviewee most frequently identifies is the Energy Project Manager .
Companies seek specialists capable of supporting an initiative from its planning stage to its entry into operation and simultaneously managing engineering, schedules, costs, contractors, permits, safety, regulations, and relationships with the various stakeholders.
There is also a growing need for professionals in electrical power systems, transmission, substations, protection, automation and control , who are essential to analyze the behavior of a greater share of variable renewable generation and to maintain a safe and reliable operation.
Transmission infrastructure appears to be one of the most sensitive issues. Following the setback of PET-3 , Guatemalan authorities proposed new processes to strengthen the grid and placed PET-4 among the priorities to support the addition of new generation capacity.
The expansion of installed capacity will require new lines, substations, protection and control systems, as well as a more flexible network to transport production to consumption centers.
“We can incorporate new generation capacity, but we need a network capable of transporting it safely and efficiently to the consumption centers,” Socarrás stated.
The institution identified concerns within the sector regarding the delays in expansions and the time required to complete them. Generation and transmission must move forward in a coordinated manner so that the newly allocated capacity can be connected without adding operational constraints.
The professional challenge, therefore, extends beyond the power plants. Guatemala will need specialists capable of planning, designing, building, and operating the electrical infrastructure required by the new generation fleet.
Storage opens up another career path for specialists
The second major area is energy storage . PEG-5 consolidated battery energy storage systems (BESS) as a component of Guatemala's new capacity, particularly through hybrid photovoltaic projects.
The country has a technical base and experienced professionals, although the official identifies the need to deepen specific knowledge to respond to the scale that this technology could reach.
Wholesale market regulations already include provisions for solar and wind generators associated with storage systems and methodologies designed to recognize their contribution of firm power and energy. With projects awarded under this framework, BESS is already generating specific professional, regulatory, and operational needs .
“But a BESS system is much more than just adding batteries to a plant. It requires knowledge of sizing, power electronics, control systems, degradation, safety, grid integration, and techno-economic evaluation,” Socarrás explained.
Greater penetration will also demand professionals capable of understanding the services that these assets can provide to the grid, their economic operation, and their interaction with the electricity market.
Technology manufacturers and providers will play a key role in transferring expertise to developers, integrators, and businesses. For these latter companies, having a workforce trained in new solutions can also become a competitive advantage.
The executive proposes expanding this collaboration through a model that integrates manufacturers, companies, and universities , leveraging the technological expertise of the private sector and the academic capacity to structure knowledge, research, and train specialists on a larger scale.
Following this logic, training should not be limited to a specific brand. The goal is to develop the fundamentals necessary to evaluate, size, integrate, and operate different solutions, while also adapting to their technological evolution.
“In storage, as in other emerging technologies, we shouldn’t wait until we have a shortage of specialists to start training them; we have to anticipate and develop those capabilities while, or better yet, before the technology enters the market,” Socarrás pointed out.
When several projects begin simultaneously, professionals with specific expertise become highly sought after by different companies. This gap can become particularly noticeable during the construction, integration, and commissioning phases of the awarded facilities.
AI and digitization are transforming the job market
Another area with great potential is the digitalization of the energy system , whose impact reaches practically the entire value chain.
SCADA, automation, communications, data analysis, artificial intelligence, predictive maintenance, intelligent asset management and cybersecurity applied to energy infrastructure are among the skills that will become more relevant.
These tools span power generation plants, networks, marketing, and consumption management itself. The convergence of electrical expertise and digital capabilities could thus become one of the most sought-after combinations.
“Professionals who can combine energy knowledge with digital skills will have a highly growing demand and a competitive advantage,” he predicted.
Over the next five years, the institution also identifies opportunities in transmission and smart grids, energy efficiency, electromobility, distributed generation, demand management, and distributed energy resources .
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Efficiency will continue to play a prominent role in industries, buildings, and large consumers, where reducing consumption through more efficient processes and technologies remains an economical tool for optimizing energy costs.
In parallel, electromobility, distributed generation and demand management will progressively modify the relationship of consumers with the electricity system and open up new needs for specialization.
Hydrogen will also offer opportunities, primarily in research, industry, and specific applications. However, Galileo University projects that storage, networks, digitalization, and energy efficiency will have a more immediate and broader impact on employment in Guatemala over the next five years .
Galileo University adapts its training to the new market
The speed of change necessitates a shift in academic offerings. The Institute of Energy Resources (IRE) at Galileo University structures its strategy around three pillars: continuous program updates, industry partnerships, and training with a strong practical component.
The curriculum update incorporated or strengthened content such as energy storage, distributed generation, electromobility, artificial intelligence applied to the electricity sector, digitalization, asset management, data analysis, sustainability, and new energy business models .
This knowledge is complemented by the fundamentals of engineering, renewable energy, energy efficiency, electrical systems, regulation and market, with the aim of training specialists without losing a comprehensive view of how the sector works.
One of the characteristics of the model is that a large part of the teaching staff works directly in companies, institutions and projects related to generation, regulation, marketing, energy efficiency, development and management.
“This means that the classroom doesn’t just receive theory; it also receives the problems that the industry faces today, the decisions that are being made, real cases and lessons learned,” the executive highlighted.
The institution also made investments to strengthen laboratories where students work with grid-connected and off-grid photovoltaic systems, solar thermal energy, electrical systems, energy efficiency, wind power, efficient cooking technologies, fuels and biofuels, hydrogen, and other technologies .
Practical training aims to enable future professionals to measure, experiment, analyze, make mistakes, and solve problems before facing them within a company or project.
In addition, there are technical visits, conferences, projects, applied research, and exchange opportunities with companies, institutions, and specialists, which allow us to understand the different technical, economic, regulatory, and social dimensions behind each development.
The transformation of human capital doesn't only involve those entering the labor market. Professionals already working in the industry will need to update their knowledge in light of technologies and models that had a limited presence just a few years ago.
Many specialists developed a significant part of their careers in an energy system different from the one that is now beginning to take shape. BESS, digitalization, artificial intelligence, distributed generation, new control technologies, and business models demand new skills.
For this reason, continuing education, postgraduate programs, and specialized training will become more relevant.
The IRE already develops skills strengthening programs in collaboration with companies and institutions through agreements that allow for the design of training adapted to the needs of the teams and the new sectoral challenges.
This connection works both ways: organizations gain access to programs tailored to their requirements, and academia obtains information about real problems, emerging technologies, and new skills that it can then incorporate into its programs.
“The company ceases to be merely the one that receives the professional trained by the university and becomes actively involved in the development and updating of the talent that the sector needs,” the director stated.
Collaboration can be extended through industry specialists within academic programs, professional internships, technical visits, analysis of real cases, applied research projects, access to new technologies, and joint participation in events.
The goal is to build a permanent ecosystem of training and updating in which academia, companies, institutions, regulators, manufacturers and other actors share the responsibility of developing human capital.
Transmission, regulation, and permits will also influence growth
Human capital must be developed in parallel with addressing structural challenges. Lourdes Socarrás identifies four particularly relevant areas: transmission, regulation, project permitting, and geothermal energy .
The first is considered the most urgent. Adding generation capacity requires a network capable of transporting the production safely and efficiently, so expansions must be carried out in coordination with the growth of installed capacity.
The second challenge is to modernize regulation without losing the conditions that have given stability to the market over the last few decades.
Guatemala has an electricity market supported by the General Electricity Law and developed over nearly three decades. The rapid incorporation of new technologies requires evolving the rules while preserving stability, predictability, and legal certainty for long-term investments.
The third point involves streamlining and coordinating development processes. Even technically viable projects, with financing and favorable conditions, can face delays due to easements, municipal permits, licenses, environmental procedures, or interventions from multiple institutions .
The need lies in achieving clearer, more coordinated and predictable procedures, while maintaining the corresponding environmental, social and administrative controls.
The fourth area is linked to geothermal energy . According to figures provided during the interview, Guatemala has an estimated geothermal potential of close to 1000 MW , of which it currently utilizes only a small fraction.
Its ability to provide renewable baseload generation and firm power acquires particular value in the face of the increase in variable sources, given that it does not depend on weather conditions and uses a resource available in the country.
“I believe Guatemala should once again consider geothermal energy as a strategic resource for the country’s energy security and transition,” the academic stated.
Developing this potential will require regulatory, institutional, and financial conditions appropriate to projects with high initial investments and longer maturation periods than other technologies.
These four challenges are compounded by the need to strengthen long-term planning , integrating generation, transmission, distribution and demand growth within a single vision of the electrical system.
The country has a diversity of renewable resources and accumulated experience in hydroelectricity, solar, wind, biomass and geothermal , in addition to a competitive electricity market and a strategic position within the Regional Electricity Market.
The response obtained in PEG-5 also confirmed investor interest. The next stage involves evolving from a market attractive for installing renewables to one capable of developing comprehensive energy solutions that combine generation, storage, digitalization, energy efficiency, electromobility, and new business models .
This process opens opportunities for Guatemala to consolidate itself as one of the most dynamic energy markets in Central America, provided that transmission, regulation, institutional capacity and professional training keep pace with the investment.
For Socarrás, human capital must begin to be considered part of the infrastructure necessary for the sector's growth . Renewable resources, financing, technology, and awarded projects all require professionals who can transform these conditions into assets that are built, connected, and operated safely and efficiently.
The challenge requires a long-term strategy and shared responsibility among universities, companies, public institutions, manufacturers and other actors, both to train new specialists and to update those who currently participate in and lead the transformation.
“If Guatemala can complement its investment in energy infrastructure with an equivalent investment in knowledge and talent, the energy transition can become not only an environmental opportunity, but also an extraordinary opportunity for economic development, innovation, and the creation of specialized jobs for the country,” he concluded.