Argentina has incredible solar and wind potential. So why is the government pushing fracking in the Vaca Mauerta field isntead of decarbonizing? Maximiliano Proaño takes a look. While other countries decarbonize, Argentina has stagnated: 86% of its energy mix comes from gas and oil. In 2017, non-conventional oil production grew by 30% and unconventional gas by 22.2%. Everything indicates that the production of non-conventional hydrocarbons through fracking will continue to grow due to the current government’s interest in the Vaca Muerta field. At the same time, average electricity bills have skyrocketed: adjustments and elimination of subsidies have caused electricity bills to spike in Buenos Aires by 562% between 2015 and 2017. The takeoff of renewable energy in Argentina has turned out to be more complex than expected. By 2017 only 2% of the electricity mix was composed of renewable energies, but some estimates indicate that 2018 is the year renewables will take off in Argentina. The recent update of the regulatory framework has made the county more interesting to energy investors. Argentina aims to generate … Continue reading Argentina, between fracking and the takeoff of renewables