Electricity sector in Bolivia
| Data | |
|---|---|
| Electricity coverage (2003) | 67% (total), 28% (rural); (LAC total average in 2007: 92%) |
| Installed capacity (2006) | 1.43 GW |
| Share of fossil energy | 60% |
| Share of renewable energy | 40% (hydro) |
| GHG emissions from electricity generation (1994) | 0.19 t CO2e per capita |
| Average electricity use (2006) | 588 kWh per capita |
| Distribution losses (2005) | 10%; (LAC average in 2005: 13.6%) |
| Residential consumption (% of total) |
40% |
| Industrial consumption (% of total) |
28% |
| Average residential tariff (US$/kW·h, 2006) |
0.0614; (LAC average in 2005: 0.115) |
| Average industrial tariff (US$/kW·h, 2006) |
0.0404 (LAC average in 2005: 0.107) |
| Annual investment in electricity | US$40 million |
| Share of government financing (2004) | 50% |
| Services | |
| Sector unbundling | Yes |
| Share of private sector in generation | 100% (in the SIN-National Interconnected System) |
| Share of private sector in distribution | 100% (in the SIN) |
| Competitive supply to large users | No (regional distribution monopolies) |
| Competitive supply to residential users | No |
| Institutions | |
| No. of service providers | 3 (generation), 3 (distribution) |
| Responsibility for transmission | 2 (Transportadora de Electricidad, ISA Bolivia) |
| Responsibility for regulation | Multi-sector national regulator |
| Responsibility for policy-setting | Viceministry of Electricity and Alternative Energy |
| Responsibility for the environment | Land Planning and Environment Vice-Ministry |
| Electricity sector law | Yes (1994) |
| Renewable energy law | No |
| CDM transactions related to the electricity sector | 1 registered CDM project; 141,691 t CO2e annual emissions reductions |
The electricity sector in Bolivia is dominated by the state-owned ENDE Corporation (Empresa Nacional de Electricidad), although the private Bolivian Power Company (Compañia Boliviana de Energía Eléctrica; COBEE) is also a major producer of electricity. ENDE had been unbundled into generation, transmission and distribution and privatized in the 1990s, but most of the sector was re-nationalized in 2010 (generation) and 2012 (transmission and distribution).
The supply is dominated by thermal generation (65%), while hydropower (35%) has a smaller share in its generation mix compared to other South American countries. (Latin America and the Caribbean, or LAC, average hydropower capacity is 51%.) In 2014, national electricity supply of 1580,35 MW comfortably exceeded the 1298,2 MW maximum demand. Like in other countries, Bolivia’s electricity sector consists of a National Interconnected System (SIN) and off-grid systems (known as the Aislado).
The national government's priorities for the electricity sector include providing universal access to electricity and producing surplus energy for export. The electricity coverage in rural areas is among the lowest in Latin America and improving it represents a major challenge in the future. The government envisions a major expansion of electricity generation capacity to over 8,000MW over the decade from 2015 to 2025, primarily to export surplus generating capacity.
In Bolivia, the National Interconnected System (SIN) connects major population centers and represents 83% of the installed capacity. The SIN provides electricity to the largest cities and operates in the Departments of Cochabamba, Santa Cruz, Oruro, Potosí and Chuquisaca. Its grid extends over 1,200 miles and covers the central and southern parts of the country. The population in the northern and western parts of the country remains largely unconnected to the national grid, either served by the off-grid system (the Aislado) or having no access to electricity at all. The off-grid system consists of numerous self producers and independent power plants in rural or isolated areas.
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