Event reports
The aforementioned is one of the conclusions of the study "New electric interconnection opportunities in Latin America", which evaluates the potential of 12 energy integration projects in the region, all of which represent more than 10.000 kilometers of new high voltage lines, 6500 MW of installed capacity and demand investment costs of 5 billion USD.
This translates into a universe of journalistic stories about a key issue for the development of the Americas, which is energy security. That is why the Regional Program on Energy Security and Climate Change in Latin America (EKLA) of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, together with CONNECTAS, conducted at Ciudad del Saber (City of Knowledge), in Panama, on May 11 and 13, the journalist training workshop "Electric Interconnection and its relationship with the development agenda in Latin America"._
During this event, journalists from Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru and Venezuela were trained. Aside from increasing their knowledge regarding the techniques for writing in-depth journalistic stories, specific knowledge about the sector was covered with experts on the energy issue: Katherine Segura, Electricity Specialist from OLADE; Benjamín Bayer, an associate researcher on the Transdisciplinary Panel on Climate Change from IASS. The journalistic side was conducted by Carlos Eduardo Huertas from CONNECTAS. This novel interdisciplinary methodology allowed the journalists to access specific knowledge regarding the potential and challenges in achieving Energy Interconnection in the region.
From there, the journalists presented proposals for covering events in the sector in order to develop follow-up notes on the issue and, later, developing them into in-depth notes. For example, the notes made by journalist Mabel Calero, from Nicaragua:
-Transparency could lower energy prices in Nicaragua.
-Nicaragua does not take advantage of the regional energy market.
-Bidding is "turned off" in the electric industry in Nicaragua.
-Only Nicaragua applies energy cross-subsidization in Central America.
-Concentration of power in electricity stations in Nicaragua.
And those made by María del Pilar Celi:
-Peru: What are the benefits that the country will have by fulfilling its climate commitment?
In the beginning, the activity had a session of Discussions with CONNECTAS, with the participation of a group of experts who talked about the importance of electric interconnection for the continent. The members of this group were Isaac Castillo, Sub-secretary of Energy in Panama. Katherine Segura, Energy Specialist from the Latin America Energy Organization (OLADE), José Ramón Gómez, Senior Energy Specialist from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and doctor Fernando Aramburú Porras, economist, consultant in the Energy sector. Journalist Mabel Calero and Carlos Eduardo Huertas, director of CONNECTAS, were in charge of moderating the meeting.
On the following link you can read the note made by CONNECTAS about this round table:
Electric interconnection: a key for the development of Latin America
With this type of activity that allows us to gather experts and journalists around a specialized issue, the Regional Program on Energy Security and Climate Change in Latin America of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, together with CONNECTAS, we are moving forward with novel ways of approaching specialized ways to work on key issues for the development of the Americas, conducting more and better journalism.
