Uruguay’s electromobility policy expected to remain unchanged after election

Uruguay’s electromobility framework, and by extension its energy transition strategy, will remain largely unchanged regardless of who wins the upcoming general elections in which the left-wing Frente Amplio is favored to return to power, according to Paola Visca, advisor to the environment ministry’s climate change directorate DINACC.

“The policy to promote electromobility is to take advantage of renewable energy surplus, and that is a policy that comes from previous governments and has continued even when the ruling party changed,” Visca told an electromobility webinar held by carbon market aggregator joint venture Zeroca.

Uruguay’s current electromobility goals, which are part of a wider energy efficiency strategy, aim for 100% passenger, light and heavy cargo vehicles to have zero emissions by 2045, while in the case of motorcycles the target is 2050. 

Visca, who declined to say who she expected to win this month’s election, said a good part of the strategy was put in place by Frente Amplio governments (2005-20).

The current frontrunner in the October 27 election, Yamandú Orsi of the Frente Amplio, has stated that he will add 150 electric vehicles per year to the public transport fleet if elected. 

Although polls place Orsi in first place, he will likely face a runoff that would take place on November 24. His most likely opponent is Álvaro Delgado, who represents the ruling center-right National Party of President Luis Lacalle Pou.

During the same webinar, Zeroca gave details of a Uruguay-focused program to support electromobility initiatives in the country by providing access to carbon credits.

Details of the scheme can be seen here (in Spanish).

The joint venture’s leader for the Latin American and Caribbean region, Susana Ricaurte, said that so far Zeroca has not had any contact with the presidential campaigns. 

“Our contacts have been directly with public and private companies working on electromobility,” she told the webinar. 

Zeroca expects to submit its program to be reviewed by authorities later this month, and for it to be approved around the end of this year.