Experts and representatives from the energy sector are warning of the urgent need for a tariff adjustment by Paraguay's state electricity utility, ANDE, to cover the real costs of the service and finance essential investments. A technical study conducted by the Center for the Study of Energy Regulatory Activity (Ceare) at the University of Buenos Aires, with support from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), proposes a gradual increase of nearly 40% in the average tariff by 2030, raising it from USD 49.2 to USD 68.6 per megawatt-hour (MWh).
Energy expert Victorio Oxilia Dávalos highlighted the study's reliability and stated that tariffs must reflect the real economic costs of supply, including resources for future investments. He emphasized that low-voltage power, which reaches households, is the most expensive to distribute and also the most politically sensitive due to social tariffs. Oxilia also drew attention to commercial losses, which are energetically equivalent to almost the entire generation of the Acaray plant over two and a half years, representing approximately USD 75 million annually from theft alone.
Engineer Fabián Cáceres, former technical manager of ANDE, corroborated the analysis, warning that the state-owned company faces serious financial difficulties, with negative profitability since 2021, whereas its charter stipulates it should be between 8% and 10%. He mentioned that in several customer categories, ANDE sells power below cost, with the tariff for cryptocurrency mining being the only one that breaks even. Cáceres also criticized the failure to materialize funds promised to ANDE following the 2024 tariff agreement with Brazil.
Meanwhile, Rubén Jacks, president of the Latin American Business Council (CEAL), warned that the energy surplus from the binational hydroelectric dams will be exhausted within three to five years, and the country is already suffering from an inability to attract investment due to a lack of guarantees in the energy supply. Jacks advocated for opening the electricity market to private capital, creating an independent regulatory body, and implementing a true cost-reflective tariff to prevent a system collapse.
During a forum held by the Business Advisory Council – Energy Roundtable, the successful models of Brazil and Uruguay, which transformed their energy matrices through private participation, were presented. Jacks drew a parallel with the demonopolization of telecommunications in Paraguay in the 1990s, arguing that the same approach is now necessary for the electricity sector.
Energy consumption in Paraguay recorded an accumulated growth of 18.3% in the first half of 2026 compared to the same period in 2025, reflecting the dynamism of economic activity. In June 2026, demand reached 2,310,632 MWh, an increase of 11.8% compared to the same month the previous year. ANDE continues to strengthen the electrical infrastructure with strategic works to keep pace with this sustained growth.