Andrea Polizzoto Bacur is familiarizing herself with the points that the previous administration under Sebastián Kind, former Undersecretary of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency, had been working on.
He has only been in office for nine days, but the Energy Secretariat assures that he is aware of the issues that need to be resolved in the short term.
It is worth remembering that Polizzoto Bacur is a lawyer, specializing in mediation and sustainable management, and a member of the energy group that advised the Frente de Todos.
She is a true "Albertista" (supporter of Alberto Fernández), close to the Secretary of Energy , Sergio Lanziani .
According to information obtained by Energía Estratégica , one of the most difficult tasks for the official will be to evaluate, case by case, the contracts for wind, solar, bioenergy and hydroelectric power, signed during the previous administration under the RenovAr Program and under the Term Market scheme.
It is known that many of the parks are delayed and outside the legally agreed deadlines for injecting energy into the grid.
So much so that the portfolio is reviewing the status of each investment and company, with the expectation of renegotiating the fines that are still running.
In fact, energy sources mention that "a list is being set up" with the companies that will be a priority to start talks with.
Regarding Round 3 of the RenovAr Program, whose contract signing deadline is in January, the idea of an extension that would give projects more time to obtain financing is gaining strength.
In this tender, 25 contracts were signed, but about 20 remain pending, and the Government wants to provide some solutions.
Especially because after the change of authorities the State did not designate a bureaucratic firm to enable the joining of the National Renewable Energy Fund (FODER), which is essential to continue with the process.
Previously, Sebastián Kind himself did it, as he held the position of undersecretary.
Meanwhile, this task would fall to Osvaldo Arrúa , the Undersecretary of Electric Energy, who will already have other equally important responsibilities, considering the tariff review that the Government is undertaking.
In addition, Arrúa brings ideas and proposals for the expansion of electric transport lines.
He is a missionary and represented his province on the Federal Council of Electric Energy, so he knows in detail the needs of high-voltage transport.
Given these cases under scrutiny, the idea of maintaining the Undersecretariat of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency has resurfaced. Would it include hydroelectric power? This is despite the fact that the organizational chart of the Secretariat of Energy was published today in the official gazette, resulting in four undersecretariats: Hydrocarbons, Electricity, Planning, and Administration.
Within the ruling party, there is debate about the need to accelerate the legal process for ongoing contracts, which is necessary to consider new programs.
This is feasible even though the appointments to the new positions haven't yet been formalized in the official gazette. "The original organizational chart can be changed without any problems," assures an expert familiar with the legal aspects of the Energy Ministry.
Another hot topic that is among the priorities of the current administration is the PERMER Program, which delivers solar kits to households without access to the grid in the interior of the country.
The low budget execution delayed the installations and there are legal disputes with the contract signed by Enerray, the equipment supplier.
What is being debated again is the idea of having a sub-secretariat with greater decision-making power, as proposed by Decree 531, Law 27.191, Law 27.424, among other regulations that require the signature of a Sub-Secretary for many of the definitions.
Meetings on this issue are already planned within the ministry led by Lanziani, taking advantage of the fact that formal appointments can take months to be published in the Official Gazette.
Moreover, given that the Ministry of Production assumed important responsibilities related to the economy and the social sphere, which is now the main focus of the new Government.
Beyond the political struggles, there is a technical-sectoral issue driving this discussion.
And it has to do with the fact that in the last four years 250 renewable energy projects were awarded, representing more than 6,400 MW of new renewable capacity.
It's something like 20% of the high-power generating fleet.
Of this total, 60 new parks entered commercial operation, which meant a direct investment of 2.7 billion dollars.
And another 95 power plants are under construction for almost 5 billion.
These latest figures were provided by former Undersecretary Sebastián Kind in an opinion column he wrote for this publication at the end of his term, as a summary of his administration, published on November 20. (See Column) The flip side of these plans, which succeeded in creating a local industry—with five major international manufacturers operating in the country, including Vestas and the Nordex Group—is that there are still 100 projects that have not yet begun construction.
These are the first contracts that will have to be renegotiated or terminated.
To be honest, these situations occur in all countries that launch clean energy auctions, since it is difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff, and at first, companies that speculate on low prices to then sell the PPA contracts are always involved.
When they fail to transfer the contract, they end up delaying construction and even suffering contract termination.
In Argentina, for example, a key element is added: in 2018 there were substantial changes in the macroeconomy that make it impossible to access financing from abroad today.