In a passionate speech filled with personal memories, former president Jorge “Tuto” Quiroga presented his government plan for the energy sector, warning that if the country does not urgently change course, it will face an energy, economic, and social collapse. He delivered this message during a panel discussion organized by the CBHE and CBE at the Marriott Hotel in Santa Cruz de la Sierra.
ISSUE 145 | 2025
Raúl Serrano
From Corani Lagoon, where as a child he accompanied his father, an ENDE engineer, to his participation in key projects that integrated Bolivia with the Brazilian market, Quiroga built a narrative connecting his personal history with the country’s energy history. He recalled how, as a young man, he saw gas being flared because Bolivia had no markets, and how the gas contract with Brazil in the 1990s—led by then-president Fernando Henrique Cardoso radically transformed the country’s fate. “That contract, the gas pipeline to Brazil, and the infrastructure built with private investment were the turning point. Bolivia stopped flaring gas and began exporting,” he recalled.
However, the former president denounced that this moment of prosperity was followed by hesitation and ultimately by plunder. He strongly criticized the energy policy of Evo Morales’ government, stating that the nationalization accompanied by the use of military forces in oil fields sent a signal of legal uncertainty that drove away foreign investment. “It’s not just about the law or the articles, it’s the signal that anything goes here. They criminalized exploration and even prosecuted the technicians who discovered Incahuasi,” he said, recalling that he himself was prosecuted for political responsibilities, even though the discovery had allowed gas production to be sustained for several more years.
PRODUCTION STAGNATION
The loss of the Argentine market, the stagnation of exploration, and the drop in production, according to Quiroga, paint a bleak picture. “We went from 64 exploratory wells in 1999 to practically none. Today you open a valve, and there’s no gas to extract. What’s coming is dramatic: blackouts, lack of LPG, cooking with firewood, and no taxis or buses running on natural gas,” he warned.
“Industrialization without energy is pure propaganda,” he argued, warning that if the current situation continues, Bolivia will face a dramatic scenario: “Turn off 7 out of every 10 lightbulbs, cook with firewood, there will be no LPG, and no natural gas taxis. What’s coming is dramatic.”
Faced with this outlook, the former president proposed a series of structural measures to be implemented from the first day of a potential government. First, a new Hydrocarbons Law, accompanied by bilateral investment treaties and Bolivia’s return to international arbitration mechanisms. “You only get one chance to make a good first impression, and that’s done at the start,” he said, stressing that legislation must be competitive with what Argentina or Peru currently offer to attract investment.
This would be accompanied by a reform of the tax system, based on the Paraguayan model: 10% VAT, 10% corporate tax, and 10% payroll tax. He also proposed eliminating double taxation, which he said discourages foreign investment.
Quiroga also proposed strategic agreements with Argentina to allow Vaca Muerta to export gas to Brazil through Bolivian pipelines, strengthening energy interdependence between the two countries.
STRATEGIC OPPORTUNITY
Although there is currently a thermal power surplus, Tuto stressed that in a world where clean energy is “the new gold,” Bolivia must become a technological hub. “Cryptomining, data centers, lithium battery manufacturing… all of that requires clean, cheap energy, and Bolivia has the ideal conditions,” he said.
He also proposed an institutional transformation to restore independence to regulators and allow real competition between state-owned and private companies. He stated that public companies will remain the property of the people but will no longer manipulate the State for their own benefit. “As things stand, no one wants to come and invest,” he warned.
In this regard, he advocated for ENDE and YPFB to stop monopolizing the sector. He suggested turning these entities into popular investment funds, separating state regulation from commercial operations, calling for transparent auctions for renewable projects, eliminating discretion, and fostering technical and price-based competition.
Regarding hydrocarbons, he stressed that the State should not take on exploration risks without technical capacity, as this diverts resources away from health and education. Instead, he said, it should provide legal frameworks, investment treaties, and access to arbitration so that private companies can take the financial risks.
To reverse the economic crisis (limited gas reserves, fiscal deficit, depleted international reserves), he insisted on an emergency program involving external economic rescue and simultaneous sectoral reforms: hydrocarbons, electricity, agriculture, and mining laws. “Only then can Bolivia rebuild infrastructure, revive exports, and stabilize its financial system,” he emphasized.
Jorge “Tuto” Quiroga presents a national plan that combines macroeconomic stability, a competitive fiscal regime, deep sectoral reform, openness to international investment, and regional technological leadership through clean energy and lithium. He believes that the State must act as a regulatory referee while strategic companies become competitive actors owned by the Bolivian people.
Ahead of the August 17 elections, Quiroga pledged to work toward winning in the first round, highlighting that the most valuable stage will be the transition period. He called on business leaders, technicians, and sector experts to “sharpen their pencils” and collaborate in drafting new sectoral laws before the end of the year. “We have proposals. We’re going all in from the start. If we don’t, we might as well shut everything down. But if we do, Bolivia can once again become the energy powerhouse it was and recover lost time,” he stressed.
Jorge Tuto Quiroga’s participation took place in a discussion forum organized by the Bolivian Chamber of Hydrocarbons and Energy (CBHE) and the Bolivian Chamber of Electricity (CBE), at the Marriott Hotel in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, where he responded to the concerns of members of these institutions, which bring together key companies in the sector.
The questions were posed by Ángel Zannier, president of the CBE, Enzo Michel, executive director of the CBHE, along with Orlando Vaca and Gastón Acebey, members of the CBE. Quiroga emphasized the importance of a predictable political environment, with committed leadership and without polarization that undermines credibility for a new hydrocarbons law. He also reiterated that without economic stabilization and access to U.S. dollars through an agreement with organizations such as the IMF and IDB, there will be no real investment, as private capital will not flow into a country facing a “bank freeze.”
“…the State must act as a regulatory referee while strategic companies become competitive actors owned by the Bolivian people.”
