As part of the technical cooperation between Guatemala's Ministry of Energy and Mines (MEM) and the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), a training workshop on best practices in the tendering processes for electric transmission lines was held on May 21 and 22 in Guatemala City. The event gathered national authorities, international experts, and representatives from regional organizations.

The workshop aimed to analyze the main risks associated with the tendering processes of electric transmission projects in Guatemala and to share international best practices that can strengthen the planning, implementation, and oversight of these strategic investments. The activity included technical sessions, a field visit, and working groups for collaborative risk analysis and the formulation of mitigation proposals.

During the opening session, the Minister of Energy and Mines, Mr. Víctor Hugo Ventura, and Ms. Marina Gil, representative of the Energy Unit of ECLAC’s Natural Resources Division, underscored the importance of ensuring transparent, competitive, and technically sound tendering processes that support the modernization of the national electricity system and respond to electrification needs and economic growth.

On the first day, a technical visit was conducted to the Incienso GIS (Gas Insulated Switchgear) substation in Guatemala City, followed by presentations on the analysis carried out by ECLAC and MEM regarding the ongoing tender process of the Electric Transmission Expansion Plan PET3-2025, as well as the main institutional and regulatory challenges identified. The second day focused on an exchange of experiences with experts from Peru and Chile, who presented the challenges, lessons learned, and best practices in their respective countries.

Technical working groups were held to address financial, legal and regulatory, environmental and social, and technical risks. These sessions allowed for the identification of key risks throughout the various stages of the tendering process and the proposal of concrete mitigation actions, along with the designation of responsible actors for their implementation.

This activity is part of the technical support that ECLAC provides to the Government of Guatemala to strengthen its capacity in energy planning and infrastructure investment execution, carried out in collaboration with the get.Transform program. The outcomes of this workshop will contribute to improving current and future tendering processes for the country’s transmission system.