Dino Barajas Quoted by Latin America Advisor on Fate of Hydropower in Latin America
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Akin Gump cross-border transactions partner Dino Barajas has been quoted in Latin America Advisor for the Q&A column “Is Hydro Gaining Steam of Drying Up in Latin America?”
Barajas was asked the following questions:
- What is the future of hydropower projects in Latin America?
- How can projects best manage concerns about environmental and socioeconomic sustainability with countries’ energy needs?
In his response, Barajas noted that for many countries throughout Latin America, “hydropower has been an effective method of ensuring energy independence and stabilizing overall energy production costs.” Relying on any one technology, however, “can prove devastating during periods when the fuel source supplying such generation is in short supply.”
Barajas talked about the importance of diversification. He also noted that supplementing hydropower with other renewable energy production technologies, such as wind, solar or geothermal, “would help provide various Latin American economies with the necessary power price and supply predictability needed to foster additional industrial growth with which to further compete in the global market.”
Latin America is well positioned to remain “one of the most attractive regions for foreign investment,” Barajas added. The ability to control critical cost inputs, however, “will be a determining factor in which countries in the region remain as the economic beacons for future growth.”