International

Bolivia and Argentina promote energy integration

Photo: Prensa Latina

June 1 |

The presidents of Bolivia and Argentina, Luis Arce and Alberto Fernández, respectively, lead today in the department of Tarija the inauguration of the 132 kV Juana Azurduy de Padilla international interconnection power line.

Fernandez arrived this Thursday at the Tarija airport of Yacuiba and went to the town of Yaguacua, where he held a meeting with his peer and host, and later both proceeded to inaugurate the electricity transmission line.

The energy supplier has a length of 120 kilometers (46.49 in Bolivia and 73.88 in Argentina) and connects the Yaguacua substation in Bolivia with the Tartagal substation in Argentina.)

This project will allow the transportation of electric energy from the Andean-Amazonian nation to the neighboring country with an estimated power of 120 megawatts (MW).

20250501_mh_noexigencia_dui_728x90

The work required an investment of 364 million Bolivianos (US$364 million), concluded in March 2018 in Bolivia and in May 2019 on the Argentine side.

“It is an honor and a joy to receive in Yacuiba, Tarija, our brother president, Alberto Fernández, to deliver a work of great importance for our peoples,” Arce wrote on his Twitter account.

According to the news agency Télam, for Argentina “the import of energy from Bolivia results in an improvement in the voltage levels in the northern area (…), especially at hours of high demand”.

This exporting operation should have started in October 2019, and the works were interrupted in 2020, during the de facto government of Jeanine Áñez.

After the rescue of democracy with the electoral triumph of Arce that same year, in 2021, Empresa Nacional de Electricidad (ENDE) through its subsidiary ENDE Transmisión Argentina S.A. (ETASA), resumed the construction of the section in Argentine territory.

20250501_mh_noexigencia_dui_728x90

The work was completed in October 2022, after which the line and generation testing stages were carried out.

On March 13 of this year, Bolivia began exporting, for the first time in bilateral history, 60 MW to Argentina with the possibility of reaching up to 120 MW.

Arce and Fernández are currently leading the inauguration ceremony in an evening attended by ministers of both nations, legislators, leaders of social organizations and neighbors of the Chaco region of Yaguacua.

Related Topics:Argentina Bolivia Integration

Up Next

Social leaders demand resignation of Peruvian Health Minister

Don't Miss

Brazil and Venezuela consolidate alliances with the signing of agreements

20250501_mh_noexigencia_dui_300x250

International

Federal immigration agents kill man in Minneapolis, sparking protests and outrage

Federal immigration agents shot and killed a 37-year-old Minneapolis man during an operation on Saturday, authorities confirmed, sparking new protests and deepening outrage over federal immigration enforcement in the city.

The victim, identified as Alex Jeffrey Pretti, was a U.S. citizen and intensive care nurse who worked at a Veterans Affairs hospital and was widely respected in his community, according to colleagues and news reports.

Officials said the shooting occurred during a targeted immigration raid in south Minneapolis. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) described the incident as an act of self-defense by agents who believed the man posed a threat.

However, videos reviewed by multiple outlets and eyewitnesses show Pretti holding a phone and not displaying a weapon before being pepper-sprayed, tackled by agents and then shot multiple times, raising serious questions about the official account.

The killing comes amid a broader federal immigration enforcement operation in the city and follows another controversial shooting in early January in which Renée Good, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen, was fatally shot by an ICE agent, leading to widespread protests and criticism of federal tactics.

20250501_mh_noexigencia_dui_728x90

International

Delcy Rodríguez seeks political agreements after Maduro’s ouster

Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, on Saturday called for “reaching agreements” with the opposition to achieve “peace” in the country, which the United States says it now controls following the military operation that removed President Nicolás Maduro from power.

Rodríguez, who previously served as Maduro’s vice president, assumed interim leadership after the leftist leader was captured on January 3 during a military incursion that left nearly 100 people dead.

In her first public statements since taking office, Rodríguez signaled a shift in the strained relationship between Caracas and Washington, while also committing to the release of a “significant number” of political prisoners.

“There can be no political or partisan differences when it comes to the peace of Venezuela,” Rodríguez said during an address in the coastal state of La Guaira, broadcast on state television VTV.

“From our differences, we must speak to one another with respect. From our differences, we must meet and reach agreements,” she added.

20250501_mh_noexigencia_dui_728x90

The day before, Rodríguez instructed the head of Parliament — her brother Jorge Rodríguez — to convene talks with various political sectors in the country aimed at achieving “concrete and immediate results.”

International

Bogotá and Quito Seek Dialogue After Tariffs and Power Cut Escalate Tensions

Bogotá and Quito will hold an emergency bilateral summit next week amid recent developments that have strained relations between the two countries.

Tensions escalated this week after Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa unexpectedly announced a 30% tariff on Colombian imports. Colombia responded with a reciprocal measure, imposing the same tariff on around 20 Ecuadorian products and suspending electricity exports to Ecuador.

Aware that electricity imports are critical to easing Ecuador’s recent energy crises, Quito further imposed a 30% tariff on the transportation of Colombian oil through its territory.

However, recent statements from the Ecuadorian government suggest that dialogue between the two sides has intensified in recent hours. Ecuador’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gabriela Sommerfeld, confirmed that active conversations are under way.

In Colombia, segments of the business sector have welcomed the prospect of negotiations. The National Business Council (Consejo Gremial Nacional, CGN), for instance, urged both governments to restore commercial relations, warning that the dispute “puts jobs and regional economic stability at risk.”