The Plataforma Escenarios Energéticos Argentina 2040 initiative developed different scenarios for the future of the energy sector in Argentina. NewClimate was asked to write a comment on the Paris compatibility of the scenarios.

Content:

In the context of the A2A project, NewClimate Institute worked closely together with the Plataforma Escenarios Energéticos Argentina 2040, an initiative launched in 2011 with the objective to generate plural public debate on Argentina's energy future. The dialogue platform offers technical support and input to decision making processes and aims to support the design of public and private sector policies. In the third round of this initiative, which was carried out between 2017 and 2018, eleven scenario developers - representing different energy-related institutions and interests - elaborated nine scenarios for the evolution of Argentina's energy sector up to 2040.

At the end of the third round of this initiative, NewClimate Institute was asked to write a comment on the Paris compatibility of the energy sector scenarios developed under the Plataforma initiative. From a climate change perspective, and with a view to the discussion around the need to decarbonise the global energy sector by 2050, the performance of the Plataforma scenarios in terms of their total emissions as well as emissions intensity can be assessed.

The comment discusses how global pathways towards Paris compatibility can be broken down to countries and sectors, highlighting the relevance of the energy sector. A simple model is applied to calculate a range of Paris compatible pathways for Argentina's energy sector. This range is used as a reference against which the Plataforma scenarios can be compared and analysed. The results of this analysis offer interesting insights into options for energy sector development in Argentina in view of the country's commitment to the Paris Agreement.