The Future of Large Dams in Latin America and the Caribbean: IDB's Energy Strategy for the Region

his paper addresses the question of what the future role for hydro might be in meeting the electricity needs of LAC, what issues are involved and what actions the IDB could take to support these developments. Section 2 of the paper summarizes energy resources production and use in the LAC region, including associated environmental impacts. Section 3 discusses the energy outlook for the medium term in the region, highlighting the critical role of natural gas as a bridge to the new energies of the future, the roles of energy efficiency, renewables and hydropower. Section 4 provides a brief description of IDB involvement in Large Dams and section 5 outline the Bank's intended strategy for the next ten years. Finally, section 6 provides a summary and conclusions.