With the goal of promoting local investment opportunities in the field of alternative energy sources, on 4 November 2020 UNIDO ITPO Italy hosted the webinar “Investing in the Renewable Energy Sector in Peru: Success Stories and Legal Framework”, a virtual event focused on Italian success cases in Peru and on the legal framework for investment in the country.

The initiative, promoted by the Italian Chamber of Commerce of Peru, was organized by UNIDO ITPO Italy as a follow-up activity to the country presentation “Doing Green Business in Peru” within the project “Fostering international partnerships between companies and/or institutions operating in the energy and environment sectors” funded by the Italian Ministry for the Environment, Land and Sea.

Moderated by UNIDO ITPO Italy, the discussion saw the active participation of the Italian Chamber of Commerce of Peru and was opened by Mr. Flavio Greiner and Mr. Andrea Pavia, respectively Secretary General and Business Manager at ICCP, who introduced the current business climate in the country and its future prospects for investment, also in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The panel was joined by relevant Italian stakeholders from the private sector operative in the renewable energies industry of Peru – Mr. Massimiliano Calamea, Head of Sustainability at Enel Perú, Mr. Cristiano Vitali, Head of International Business Development at Tozzi Green, and Mr. Fulvio Besseghini, LATAM Regional Director at Lombardi SA, who individually presented their company success stories and projects for solar, wind energy and hydropower. After their interventions, Ms. Carmen Fernández Vadillo, Country Manager at Ontier Italia, and Mr. Enrique Dupuy, Partner of Ontier Perú, provided a legislative and institutional framework for incentives and public auctions in the local renewable energy sector.

According to the results of the interactive live polling included in the virtual discussion, Italian small and medium sized enterprises operating in the field of alternative energy sources – especially solar, hydroelectric and wind energy – represented the majority of the audience. Also, despite not having any local agent nor focal point in the country yet, most companies answered they were also actively interested in developing an international partnership with the private sector in Peru.

Attended by more than 30 participants, the event concluded with a final Q&A session, during which the online audience had the opportunity to engage directly with the panelists of the webinar, asking insightful questions so as to facilitate a fruitful exchange of best practices, lessons learned and the development of potential partnerships in the field.