‘Electricity Reform in Argentina: Lessons for Developing Countries’

Argentina was one of the first countries in the world to implement a comprehensive reform of its electricity sector in the recent period. Among developing countries only Chile has had a comparably comprehensive and successful reform. This paper traces the history of the Argentine reform, which began in 1992, and assesses its progress and its lessons. We conclude that the reform was very successful prior to the collapse of the Argentine peso in early 2002. We suggest lessons for the generation, transmission and distribution sectors, as well as the economic regulation of electricity and the general institutional environment favourable to reform. We note that the achievements of the sector are now threatened by the delays in tackling the financial consequences of the peso devaluation.