On the morning of this March 1, Andrés Rebolledo, The Chilean economist and minister of energy during the government of Michelle Bachelet, took over as the new executive secretary of the Latin American Energy Organization (OLADE) for the period 2023-2025.

Rebolledo was elected Executive Secretary of Olada at the LII Meeting of Latin American and Caribbean Energy Ministers, held in December 2022, and succeeds Uruguayan Alfonso Blanco, who served as Executive Secretary for two consecutive terms.

The new secretary presented his management plan in the symbolic cultural space of La Capilla del Hombre, an initiative of the renowned Ecuadorian painter Oswald Guayasamín. In his speech, Rebolledo said: “The program of our region continues to be a program of development: economic growth and the reduction of inequality are our imperatives.” The new official said that the countries of the region need more integrated economies, more efficient markets, greater investment and employment. In any case, he believes that there are huge opportunities for the region due to the privileged position of natural resources.

The event was attended by the Minister of Energy and Mining, Fernando Santos Alvite, who emphasized that Olade, through its management, promotes the use of alternative energy sources, following the global trend, in order to contribute and face global warming; He also added that it is an organization dedicated to detailed analysis, studies and training on regional energy issues.

In the same direction, Rebolledo set the main focal points of his management, which are:

“We will try to multiply the cooperation between the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, support energy integration projects in the region, establish an institutional dialogue with the private sector and strengthen the structure of the organization,” he said.

Rebolledo believes that “it is crucial that Olade renews his activism to promote regional agreements to mitigate risks and optimize opportunities for the countries’ energy complementarity.”

Rebolledo also presents credentials as president of the National Oil Company of Chile, deputy minister of international economic relations of Chile, ambassador to Uruguay, representative to Aladi, and consultant to the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

During his tenure as Minister of Energy in Chile, Rebolledo carried out an important transformation of the Chilean energy sector with the massive inclusion of non-conventional renewable energies, working together with all relevant actors in the sector, which also enabled the development of a regulatory framework to promote electromobility and the introduction of technologies and energy sources that are not explored in the country, like green hydrogen.