Uruguay | Director, Energy Transition & Climate Program, Inter-American Dialogue
Alfonso Blanco Bonilla is the director of the Energy Transition & Climate Program at the Inter-American Dialogue. Blanco is a distinguished expert in the energy and climate sectors across Latin America and the Caribbean.
Blanco served as the executive director of the Latin American Energy Organization (OLADE) for two terms from 2017 to 2023. His tenure was marked by a strong commitment to decarbonizing regional energy systems and meeting climate commitments. Under his guidance, OLADE supported the regional RELAC initiative, which aims to achieve 70% renewable energy in Latin America and Caribbean countries.
From 2005 to 2013, Blanco directed Uruguay’s national strategy for energy efficiency and biomass-based electricity generation, introducing innovative measures that enabled Uruguay to achieve an impressive 98% of its electricity generation from renewable sources.
Blanco has served as a senior advisor to the World Bank, IDB, CAF, and the United Nations, as well as to various companies in the energy sector and international organizations. His advisory work has encompassed regulatory issues, energy policy, energy transitions, energy diplomacy, climate change, business development, and financing models in Latin America and the Caribbean.
He has also served as inter-institutional coordinator of the Regional Energy Efficiency Program under the Regional Energy Agenda, which includes organizations such as the Latin American Integration Association (ALADI), the Association of Oil, Gas and Renewable Energy Companies of Latin America and the Caribbean (ARPEL), Regional Electric Integration Committee (CIER), the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the Organization of American States (OAS), OLADE, and the World Energy Council (WEC)
Blanco holds a degree in Mechanical Industrial Engineering from the University of the Republic of Uruguay, an MBA from ORT University of Uruguay, a Postgraduate Diploma in Economics from the University of the Republic of Uruguay, and a Certificate in Public Policy from Harvard Kennedy School.
He is a published author of numerous academic works and book chapters, a lecturer, and a university professor. He also writes as a columnist in the press in Uruguay and Latin America and has been a member of the Observatory of Energy and Sustainable Development of Uruguay and founder of Ivy Foundation.
La forma en que se apliquen las políticas y se adapten a las realidades del comercio y la inversión será crucial para el futuro de las relaciones entre Estados Unidos y los países de la región.
A Latin America Advisor Q&A featuring experts’ views on runoff elections in Uruguay.
The US presidential elections evoke a wide range of reactions and emotions in Latin America and the Caribbean, highlighting the variability of US economic and political influence across different nations.
Los países de la región están muy afectados por las barreras existentes en sus ecosistemas de inversión [en energía verde], de acceso al financiamiento, sea por problemas institucionales, de políticas o de seguridad jurídica. Saltar la barrera no es imposible, pero se requiere trabajo y voluntad política, que muchas veces no está presente.
