Buenos Aires: The Unattainable Energy Transition of a Fragmented Metropolis

The case of Buenos Aires (13 million inhabitants) exemplifies the evolution of energy supply and distribution in a developing metropolis characterized by the growth of consumption, spatial extension and social contrasts. After the 2001 economic and political crisis, the energy sectors underwent a major reorganization. For the city this meant growing state intervention in energy supply, private firms and the fixing of energy prices. The resulting evolution does not meet the criteria of energy transition as conceived in Europe, but it highlights the weight of the federal government upon a fragmented metropolis where local actors struggle to find their own spaces of action.