The Guatemalan government appointed Francisco Tzirin Jocholá as the new Deputy Minister of Energy and Mines in charge of the Energy Area , at a crucial time for the continuation of the bidding processes that will define the expansion of the electrical system in the coming years.
The official replaces Luis Arturo Mérida Peralta , who submitted his resignation effective August 1. The Ministry of Energy and Mines (MEM) had officially announced the departure of the previous deputy minister on July 31.
The appointment brings a technical and financial background to the new leadership of the portfolio. Tzirin is a mechanical and electrical engineer, a graduate of the University of San Carlos of Guatemala, and holds a specialization in finance and management control.
The new official has 29 years of experience in the Guatemalan electricity and energy sector , with expertise in strategic planning, economic evaluation, infrastructure management, financial analysis and administration of projects related to the industry.
Part of his professional career was spent at the National Electrification Institute (INDE) , one of the main public players in the national electricity market. There he held various positions related to planning, project development, and institutional management.
His arrival comes during a reshuffle of the country's top energy officials . The departure of Víctor Hugo Ventura from the Ministry and his replacement by Erwin Rolando Barrios has ushered in a new era for a department that must sustain the progress of the PEG-6 and PET-4 projects.
The transition takes on greater importance in light of the general elections scheduled for 2027. Developers, generators, distributors, and financial institutions are closely monitoring the institutional transition due to its potential impact on contracting schedules and the execution of pending projects.
PEG-6, 300 MW pending and a PEG-5 that changed the market
One of the new administration's key tasks will be to support the progress of upcoming power generation tenders. Guatemala still needs to contract for approximately 300 MW to meet the capacity requirements following the PEG-5 tender and to address new needs associated with growing demand.
The National Electric Energy Commission (CNEE) approved the terms of Open Tender 1-2026 , intended to allow major distributors to contract power and energy. The start of supply was rescheduled for November 1, 2026, three months later than initially planned.
The process is directly linked to the outcome of PEG-5, a call for proposals that altered the profile of planned investments for the country. The tender awarded 1,258 MW through 57 projects , with a renewable energy share of approximately 73% and single-unit prices close to $101 per MWh .
Hybrid solar projects with batteries gained significant prominence. The results confirmed that storage was no longer merely a technological add-on but began to be incorporated as a core attribute to provide power, flexibility, and predictability to the system.
The PEG-5 also outlined a change in competition criteria. Instead of solely prioritizing the lowest levelized cost of generation, the design valued the ability to deliver electricity at specific times and meet firmness requirements.
This situation favored photovoltaic configurations with battery energy storage systems. The combination of solar and BESS allows production to be shifted to periods of peak demand , strengthening its position against other renewable sources.
In that scenario, wind energy lost relative competitiveness despite maintaining low generation costs on an international scale. The ability to more precisely control supply schedules became a more decisive factor than the isolated technological cost.
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For the new leadership of the Ministry of Energy and Mines (MEM), the challenge is not limited to allocating more capacity . It must also ensure that projects have up-to-date contracts, predictable permits, and sufficient conditions to access financing.
The market warned of the need to adapt contractual models to the new anti-money laundering legislation. A delayed update could create legal uncertainty in the structuring of PEG-6 and affect the decisions of developers and financial institutions.
Added to this challenge are the differences that have arisen at the municipal level. Some local administrations have begun requiring licenses or payments for the installation of solar projects, while companies and specialists question whether these requirements have consistent support in national legislation.
Coordination between the central government and municipalities will be key to avoiding delays in awarded projects. Extending the authorization process could also increase construction costs and jeopardize operational start dates.
The transmission, the next bottleneck
The integration of the new parks will depend on another process that is among the management's priorities: the expansion of the transmission system .
The large number of solar projects awarded in the PEG-5 tender will increase the pressure on a grid that already faces constraints at certain nodes. Without new lines and substations, some of the contracted capacity could encounter difficulties connecting to the grid or transmitting all of its production.
The immediate precedent is PET-3 , which failed to progress as planned due to insufficient technical support. Following that outcome, the authorities began working on a new structure that incorporates the lessons learned from the process.
The future PET-4 will need to accommodate the integration of renewable energy generation and storage , as well as address the structural growth in consumption. The goal will be to reduce operational constraints, improve reliability, and strengthen corridors with the greatest capacity needs.
The agenda had already been outlined during the Future Energy Summit Guatemala. At that event, authorities announced plans to secure an additional 300 MW of firm capacity and expand transmission lines by more than 500 kilometers to integrate the new electricity supply.
The Guatemalan market thus faces a dual challenge: ensuring sufficient power and energy to meet demand and building the necessary infrastructure to transport them without exacerbating the limitations of the grid.
Energy storage serves as a complementary tool, but it does not replace expansions of the transmission system. Batteries can displace generation, respond to variations, and provide services, although their development must be coordinated with new lines, substations, and firm capacity.
In the Central American context, Guatemala ranks among the markets that most rapidly incorporated BESS systems into long-term contracts. PEG-5 demonstrated that these solutions can compete without relying exclusively on specific markets for complementary services.
Tzirin's task will be shaped by this transformation. His technical and financial expertise will be put to the test in an agenda that combines tenders, regulation, infrastructure, and institutional transition.
The PEG-6, the Open Tender 1-2026, the future PET-4 and the effective entry of the projects awarded in the PEG-5 will determine the pace of market expansion during the next few years.
Guatemala has already defined a significant part of its new generation infrastructure. The next step will be to convert awarded contracts into operational projects and prevent transmission issues, permits, or contractual uncertainty from hindering investment. This will be one of the main responsibilities the new deputy minister will assume upon joining the Ministry of Energy and Mines (MEM).