Ms. Luz Stella Murgas at XI Energy Week Highlights the Role of Natural Gas in Latin America’s Energy Landscape
On October 6, 2026, Ms. Luz Stella Murgas, the IGU Regional Coordinator for Latin America and the Caribbean, addressed the Plenary Session of OLACDE’s XI Energy Week in the Dominican Republic. The session focused on “Regional Energy Integration,” offering her a platform to emphasize that Latin America and the Caribbean can pursue both energy evolution and energy security simultaneously.
Murgas stated, “The real challenge is to advance both at the same time, and that is where natural gas has a strategic role to play.” She noted that natural gas brings essential flexibility and backup to the energy mix, supporting the recently launched report titled Opportunities for the Development of Gas in Latin America and the Caribbean from IGU, ARPEL, and OLACDE. This report highlights natural gas’ role as a complement to renewables and as a stable base load, particularly during periods of water stress in the region.
Murgas explained that while Latin America has a relatively clean energy mix with a significant share of hydropower and substantial solar and wind potential, it also faces climate challenges, including droughts linked to events like El Niño, affecting power generation reliability. She cited Brazil’s experience during the severe 2021 drought, where natural gas-fired power generation nearly doubled to maintain system stability. Furthermore, she underscored that natural gas could facilitate emissions reductions in regions reliant on carbon-intensive fuels.
Addressing energy security, Murgas noted that Latin America and the Caribbean possess about 500 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of natural gas resources—sufficient for nearly seven decades of supply at current consumption rates. However, the region accounted for only about 5% of global gas production in 2024.
