Franklin Molina, Minister of Hydrocarbons, assured that Bolivia is a natural hinge between the Andean Community of Nations (CAN) and the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR) due to its geographical location, and meets the conditions to become an “energy hub” in South America.
Molina expressed this point of view at the regional integration forum called “Bolivia: Moving towards electrical integration with its neighboring countries”.
The minister stressed that this type of integration is no longer an option but a priority because it allows greater energy efficiency and increases resilience to the climate crisis.
He reported that Bolivia currently has an electricity supply capacity that doubles demand. The generation of 1,160 megawatts (MW) comes from renewable energy sources, of which 135 MW corresponds to biomass; 165 MW to solar; 135 MW to wind, and 735 MW to hydroelectricity.
Data from the National Institute of Statistics indicate that until 2023 Bolivia had significant hydroelectric potential. In terms of production capabilities from this type of source, there is a potential of 64.7 gigawatts (GW), of which only 1.1% are used.
This is why there are plans to develop important projects to reach a share of up to 75 percent of renewable energies in the national electrical matrix, with hydroelectricity as a fundamental element.
jrr/llp/jha/jpm
