Paulo César Parra, General Manager of Energuate, shares which are the expectations that an investor has, after the tender of the PEG-5.
The manager talked with Free press and raised what are the points of interest to which the potential investors must pay attention.
From the investor perspective, what does this tender represent?
As investors, Guatemala is a country that combines many positive factors to make long -term investments. First is the regulatory framework for more than 27 years, which is very stable and has been solid. It is a modern regulatory framework that allows to evolve through the technologies that are being given.
The second is the macroeconomic indicators in Guatemala, which are not seen in other countries in Central America. For example, sustained growth of gross domestic product, a stable exchange rate with respect to the dollar, controlled inflation and a responsible monetary policy that provides a certainty of a solid country.
That is the basis for a long -term investor to obtain successful returns.
And in electric power generation businesses?
Now, if that is combined with what it works today, in a liquid market in which it was mentioned in more than US $ 2 thousand 100 million that is liquidated by the wholesale market administrator in 2024, where no one owes anything to anyone, all commitments are fulfilled, they are mechanisms that have demonstrated its effectiveness.
There is a well -interesting growth and generational bonus and it is a country with greater possibilities to urbanize than in Latin America, Guatemala has a large potential. Factories and families begin to have another quality of life, which work during the day such as computers, refrigerators and make the same plant work for a longer time that these investments use and exploit better.
For investors it is very positive and is almost a guarantee of a demand that in the future will require that energy.
After the advertisement of the tender, what is its scenario?
Serious investors who know and have analyzed the country, knew that this opportunity came, very sure they already have their analysis and now they will adopt those experiences to the needs of what was raised.
In these six months it is an optimal time, however, if there are additional needs, regulation contemplates that it can be extended more. In the best case, you can have offers in October and in the worst case in April 2026 closing the process.
The expectation we have is that it is in about nine months and January of 2026 all offers can be received.
Why is the greatest participation of investors convenient?
The objective is to be able to attract and solve the doubts of all investors. Why? Because, among more investors and signatures with experiences interested in offering their services, there will be a greater amount of offers and better prices are obtained.
Our work is to serve all investors with the bidding boards, carry out all the information sessions to clarify any existing questions to the process.
What does that energy transition respond to?
The transition is seen in search of the base curve, technologies that maximum emissions similar to methane natural gas products and there all as new hydroelectric, gas plants, photovoltaic with batteries. There will be more efficient technologies that can be taken.
The interest of natural gas why is it important?
It is a transition technology that many countries in Central America have adopted it and understand as an alternative of plants that can work 24 hours, so they have the characteristic of being used in the day or night and at any time it will be there.
The great challenge is to be able to bring natural gas at a competitive price and there are many alternatives, give investors the opportunity to develop their best electrical energy infrastructure strategy.
The gas will be one of the main actors and we hope it is accompanied by a good price.
What potential for investors can be analyzed?
We have received comments that Guatemala is attractive to investments for its regulatory framework, the liquids of its system, for the growth of the GDP that it has, the payment of the commitments, but we do not know how many investors, but there is much interest.
We will have many meetings and accompany the processes of commenting on this process.