The push for clean infrastructure in Latin America offers promising opportunities for investment

Key areas of clean infrastructure investment potential in Latin America

1. Renewable energy targets

The COP28 UN Climate Change Conference revealed insufficient progress toward the Paris Agreement goals.  Consequently, negotiators agreed to triple renewables capacity and double energy efficiency by 2030  – and several Latin American countries are currently transitioning from fossil fuels to renewables.

Mexico and Peru have modest emission reduction targets, with Mexico aiming to source 35% of its electricity from clean energy sources by 2024  and Peru only committing to carbon neutrality by 2050, while considering raising its emissions reduction goal to 40% by 2030.  However, the countries are actively pursuing renewable energy solutions. Mexico is Latin America’s second-largest solar energy sector thanks to its 24,918 GW of solar photovoltaics.  With abundant solar, geothermal, and wind resources, Mexico holds untapped potential for further renewable projects, including energy storage and green hydrogen initiatives.  Similarly, Peru could achieve 81% renewable capacity by 2030, with solar and wind comprising 35% of that energy mix. 

Chile aims for carbon neutrality by 2050, with Green Hydrogen goals and thermal power plant retirements by 2040.  The country is making serious strides, installing over 7,000 megawatts of solar power capacity and 4,000 megawatts of wind capacity in 2022,  while major corporations such as BHP and Anglo American shift toward renewable energy.  Meanwhile, Colombia aims to cut emissions by 51% by 2030 and reach carbon neutrality by 2050.  Solar and wind power in Colombia accounted for only 1.5% of 2022’s total capacity, indicating room for growth. 

    2. Water infrastructure

Water infrastructure is vital for sustainable development, public health, climate change resilience, food security, and socio-economic prosperity – and many Latin American countries need better infrastructure.

Despite having 3,144 industrial wastewater, 2,540 municipal wastewater, and 984 potable water treatment plants and hitting a record-high budget of $3.53 billion in 2023,  Mexico still faces water supply challenges and will continue upgrading plants.  Likewise, Peru has raised annual water management investments from less than $1 million to roughly $10 million between 2010 and 2020.  However, only half its population enjoys safe water access. 

Colombia’s ongoing water scarcity has left millions without access to clean water,  adequate wastewater treatment, or sewers.  The Petro Administration’s focus on expanding and updating water and sanitation infrastructure, backed by a $1.8 billion investment plan through 2026, presents investment opportunities as the sector expands.  Chile also faces water scarcity from droughts and flood risks exacerbated by climate change  and could benefit from solutions like desalination and water recycling. 

   3. Electric vehicles

EV adoption in Latin America is slow, but new goals and policies will likely drive growth, offering potentially lucrative investment opportunities.

EVs comprised just 0.5% of 2022 domestic Mexican auto sales, meaning the market is ripe for growth as charging infrastructure improves and costs decrease. Officials aim for a 50% EV sales share by 2030 and may introduce incentives to accelerate adoption. 

Peru has been slow to accept EVs but is taking a turn, with 2022 EV sales totaling 2,680, an 84.2% year-over-year increase. Investment opportunities exist, as 25% of Peru’s automotive market could be electrified by 2030 through incentives and public policies. 

Chile saw a 241% increase in EV sales in the first five months of 2022 compared to the same period in 2021,  Santiago plans to electrify its buses by 2040,  aand EV charging corridors are expanding. Meanwhile, Colombia introduced its first electric vehicle charging corridors in 2019,  issued regulations enabling service stations to provide EV charging,  and even overtook Mexico and Brazil in EV sales. 

   4. Green building

Green buildings and LEED-certified projects can help Latin America reduce energy consumption by 10%, water use by up to 40%, and carbon dioxide emissions by up to 39% over ten years.  So, it’s hardly surprising that green building has taken off in Latin America, resulting in 520 new LEED-registered projects and 317 LEED-certified projects in 2022 alone. 

Colombia’s Green Building Council, founded in 2008, signals a longstanding interest in green construction.  Colombia has ramped up its green building efforts, going from 0% to roughly 20% of the market between 2017 and 2021,  which presents growth opportunities for investors.

Meanwhile, Mexico has incentivized efficient construction and enforces energy-efficient practices through various policies and codes. With Mexico boasting the second-largest construction market inLatin America  and ambitious plans to build over 7 million homes by 2050,  investors targeting zero-carbon buildings, LEED-certified projects, and related technologies could reap substantial benefits.

Green building initiatives are gaining momentum in Peru and Chile, offering investors added prospects. While Lima remains a major green building hotspot, developments are expanding nationwide.  Chile ranks fourth for LEED-certified projects in Latin America by surface area,  driven by national policies, green bond initiatives, and sustainability commitments. 

The rise of clean infrastructure spells potential for Latin America investors

Clean infrastructure is taking off in Latin America, providing potential opportunities for investors. Mexico, Chile, Peru, and Colombia have already taken action to embrace renewable energy targets, encourage green building practices, and advance current water and EV infrastructure, and there is still plenty of room for further growth and investment profits.

Risk Warning

Investment involves risk including the loss of capital.

The information has been established on the basis of data, projections, forecasts, anticipations and hypothesis which are subjective. This analysis and conclusions are the expression of an opinion, based on available data at a specific date. Due to the subjective aspect of these analyses, the effective evolution of the economic variables and values of the financial markets could be significantly different for the projections, forecast, anticipations and hypothesis which are communicated in this material.