Eighteen candidates will compete for the presidency of the National Gas and Electricity Regulatory Entity (ENRGE) , an organization that will concentrate under the same leadership the oversight of two strategic markets for Argentina.
The roster includes current officials, former administrators, regulatory specialists, and executives from CAMMESA, ENARSA, electricity distributors, business chambers, and gas companies.
The list includes Federico Veller, Juan Manuel Alfonsín, Flavio Emir Ramírez, Hugo Daniel Muñoz, Mario Cairella, Carlos Casares, Marcelo Corda, Mariano Mirotti, Damián Andino, Marcos Antonio Domínguez, Darío Oscar Arrué, Ángel Garay, Pablo Guglielmi, Juan Carlos Doncel Jones, Mónica Gay, Graciela Bravo, Guillermo Lanzillotti and Horacio Guadagni.
Among them, Federico Veller appears to be one of the best-positioned candidates . The current Undersecretary of Hydrocarbons reports to the Secretary of Energy and Mining Coordination, Daniel González , has support within the national structure, and has reportedly already submitted the documentation to formally enter the process.
The Government will have to establish an unpaid Selection Committee, evaluate candidates' qualifications, and define shortlists. It will then have "five business days to conduct personal interviews and prepare a reasoned proposal of three candidates," according to the procedure established for filling the position.
The process won't end there. The Energy Secretariat will submit its recommendation to the Ministry of Economy, and the Executive Branch will choose the candidate , although before making the appointment official, it must explain its reasoning to Congress. Thus, the competition involves much more than an administrative appointment: it will determine who will lead the unified regulatory framework for electricity and gas.
Veller assumed the Undersecretariat of Hydrocarbons on March 11, 2026 , after serving as Undersecretary of Liquid and Gaseous Fuels since October 2024. His joining the government coincided with other significant changes within the energy structure, including Eduardo Hollidge's arrival at CAMMESA and the appointment of Osvaldo Rolando as administrator of the then National Electricity Regulatory Entity (ENRE).
Another influential candidate within the electricity market is Mario Cairella , who twice served as vice president of CAMMESA. His last term ran from May 2024 to March 2025.
His departure occurred in a context of internal differences surrounding the measures for the summer of 2025 and the reform of the Wholesale Electricity Market (MEM) that the Ministry of Energy was preparing.
Part of those changes was later reflected in resolutions 21/2025 and 400/2025 , aimed at deepening the liberalization of marketing, competition in supply and the prominence of Futures Market contracts.
Carlos Casares brings direct experience in gas regulation. He was the administrator of the then National Gas Regulatory Entity (ENARGAS) from January 2024 until his resignation in January 2026.
Furthermore, he had already competed for the leadership of ENRGE . Casares had previously run for both the presidency and vice-presidency and was even among the three candidates to head the unified organization.
Until his departure from ENARGAS, he had also been one of the top officials in the energy sector who had remained since the beginning of the La Libertad Avanza administration .
Another name with a current presence within the State is Marcelo Corda , vice president of Energía Argentina SA (ENARSA), which he joined between the end of September and the beginning of October 2024 along with Tristán Socas, after several years at Edelap, a distributor belonging to the DESA Group.
In addition to the vice presidency, he effectively performed the functions of general manager and came to the company with the backing of presidential advisor Santiago Caputo.
His tenure coincided with the recent privatization of Transener , Argentina's main electricity transporter, in which the consortium made up of Genneia and Grupo Edison acquired the state shares for about 356 million dollars .
The list also includes Darío Oscar Arrué , the ENRE's administrator between January and December 2024. He holds a degree in Economics and specializes in electricity regulation. Previously, he served as Undersecretary of Electricity for the Nation and as head of the Regulatory Analysis and Special Studies Area at ENRE itself.
On the side with extensive experience in the renewables sector, the name that emerges is Juan Manuel Alfonsín , who has over 30 years of experience in the electricity industry . He is a lawyer, a graduate of the National University of La Plata, and has worked at Iberdrola, Pan American Energy, and as the commercial manager of Endesa's (now Enel) electricity and gas trading company.
Between January and August 2024, he was the executive director of the Argentine Chamber of Renewable Energies (CADER) . He then moved to CAMMESA as a technical advisor during Cairella's administration.
He was also the commercial head of Endesa's electricity and gas marketing company —now Enel— and commercial manager of the La Rioja Electricity Distribution Company (EDELAR).
Between January and August 2024, he was the executive director of the Argentine Chamber of Renewable Energies (CADER) . He then moved to CAMMESA as a technical advisor during Cairella's administration.
More recently, the governor of Chubut, Ignacio Torres , appointed him general manager of the Provincial Energy Company (EPECh). During part of 2026, he also served as administrator of the Trelew Electric Cooperative following the resignation of Pablo Punta.
Juan Carlos Doncel Jones is another candidate with experience in the institutional functioning of the electricity market, having chaired ENARSA between December 2023 and October 2024. He was also an auditor for CAMMESA for several years and is part of the firm Conte-Grand & Doncel Jones & Aicega.
Meanwhile, Flavio Emir Ramírez has held the position of National Director of Electricity Transportation and Distribution since October 2024. The electrical engineer, a graduate of the National Technological University, worked for nine years at Edelap and 14 years at the Northern Energy Distribution Company (EDEN) .
On the gas side appears Mónica Noemí Gay , former legal secretary of the Board of Directors of ENARGAS and former president and general manager of Gasnea between May 2012 and November 2025. Gay also chaired Camuzzi between March 2016 and June 2017. Her career thus includes direct experience in the largest natural gas distributor in Argentina in terms of volume .
The executive had already tried to join the new organization and recently applied for the vice presidency of ENERGE.
Graciela Ana Bravo , for her part, is already part of the unified regulator as head of the Innovation and Standardization Unit, a role she has held since April 2024 and which she previously performed within ENARGAS.
Previously, she was general manager of Camuzzi between March 2018 and August 2020 and business manager of NRG Energía between August 2020 and December 2023.
Hugo Daniel Muñoz also brings a background in gas regulation. He was vice president of ENARGAS between 2003 and 2005. His connection with the agency began earlier: he was selected as a director through a public competition in 1997 and remained for five years as the first member of the Board of Directors.
Another candidate is Mariano Mirotti , a lawyer from Cordoba with a long career in the areas of concessions and public infrastructure, among which his time as Secretary of Concessions within the Ministry of Economy led by Luis Caputo stands out.
His state experience began in the nineties, when he served as chief advisor to the Ministry of Energy and Transport between 1995 and 1996. He later worked in Public Works and, during the administration of Fernando de la Rúa, he chaired the Trust Fund for Infrastructure Development.
The competition also includes Horacio Julio Guadagni , recently appointed head of the ENRGE Administration Unit, and Guillermo Lanzillotti , in charge of the agency's Gas Distribution Unit.
Completing the list are Damián Andino , former president of the Jujuy Energy Systems Company, Ángel Garay, Marcos Antonio Domínguez and Pablo Horacio Guglielmi .
From the selection committee to Congress: what's next in the decision-making process
The Government will form an unpaid Selection Committee , responsible for reviewing candidates' backgrounds and compiling a shortlist. A brief phase will then begin: the committee will have five business days to conduct personal interviews and formulate a reasoned proposal of three finalists.
The results will be sent to the Energy Secretariat , which will then submit the shortlist along with its recommendation to the Ministry of Economy. From there, the Executive Branch will take over, responsible for selecting the candidate it intends to place at the head of ENRGE.
However, the appointment will still require a legislative step. The Executive Branch must communicate the grounds for its decision to a bicameral committee of Congress , which will have 30 calendar days to issue a ruling.
This opinion will not be binding , so the Government will retain the final ability to proceed with the appointment.
If the bicameral commission is not formed within ten calendar days after receiving the proceedings, the grounds must be sent directly to the president of the Chamber of Deputies, Martín Menem , and to the president of the Senate, Victoria Villarruel .
Thirty calendar days after that communication , the Executive Branch will be authorized to formalize the appointment.
The definition will establish who will be in charge of leading an organization that will concentrate powers over electricity and gas , two markets that are simultaneously undergoing regulatory reforms, greater openness to competition and a redefinition of the role of the State.