GUSTAVO PETRO: COLOMBIA’S NEW PRESIDENT TAKES OFFICE

On August 7, 2022, Gustavo Petro took office as President of the Republic of Colombia.  This election is historic for multiple reasons: Petro won with the highest number of votes in Colombian electoral history (over eleven million votes); and this is the first time a left-wing candidate has been elected as President in the country. … Read more

Chile’s new Constitution: where is Chile now, and where is it heading?

As discussed in our last Latin America Note on Chile, for many, the constitutional re-write process and the election of Gabriel Boric as President represent an opportunity to reshape Chile’s political, economic, and social structures by increasing social investment and environmental protection. However, for others (including foreign investors), this period of uncertainty has triggered significant … Read more

MEXICO ENERGY ALERT: Reform of Mexico’s Electric Power Industry

On February 1, 2021, Mexican President Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador submitted an initiative to amend the Electric Power Industry Law to Congress. The initiative appeared to be part of the current administration’s plan to reverse the energy reform introduced by former president Enrique Peña Nieto in 2013 that liberalized the energy market. Read more

Mexico’s new policy on the lithium industry

In 2018, the Canadian company Bacanora Lithium PLC discovered a lithium deposit located in Bacadéhuachi, Sonora, in northern Mexico with declared reserves of 243.8 million tonnes, making it the world’s largest lithium mine. In the years since, lithium has become crucially important given its essential role in the production of batteries for mobile phones, computers, … Read more

Recent merger control developments in Latin America: Focus on Peru

On 14 June 2021, a new merger control regime entered into force in Peru. Merger control laws have been in place in Peru for almost 30 years but these were limited to the electricity sector. The new merger control legislation (Law Nº 31112, approved by the Peruvian Congress in January 2021) has repealed the sector-specific … Read more

COP26 – TRENDS IN LATIN AMERICA

Below you will find a detailed update on Latin America regional climate policy trends as part of HSF’s global launch of the COP26 hub. Our dedicated hub arms you with the resources, updates and insights to chart how climate change policy will impact your business through the 2020s. From regional overviews to sectorial deep dives, … Read more

The Brazilian New Gas Market

These are exciting times for the natural gas sector in Brazil. Over the past few months, the Brazilian legal framework for the sector has been completely overhauled. Energy companies and those investing in the region should be aware of what the Brazilian government and local players call a “new gas market” and the legislative reform … Read more

MEXICO ENERGY ALERT: Recent Regulatory Measures Impacting the Oil & Gas Sector

During the first half of May 2021, the Mexican government passed a controversial amendment of Mexico’s Hydrocarbons Law and revoked over a hundred oil and gas marketing permits. These measures are part President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (“AMLO“)’s plan to reverse the energy reforms introduced by former President Enrique Peña Nieto in 2013, which liberalized … Read more

Ecuador’s Got A New President: Now What?

Following an unexpected electoral victory on April 11, 2021, conservative candidate Guillermo Lasso assumed office as President of Ecuador yesterday. Markets welcomed Lasso’s victory when the election results were announced in April, as sovereign bonds rose to their highest point since September 2020. Lasso’s electoral campaign focused on creating employment through foreign investment, expanding investments … Read more