Concessioned hydroelectric plants will continue operating until April 2027 by decree

The National Executive Branch extended the operation of the current concessionaires of the hydroelectric complexes and systems under national jurisdiction whose contracts are expiring, with April 30, 2027, as the deadline. The measure was formalized through Decree 1349/2026 (DECTO-2026-1349-APN-PTE), published in the Official Gazette of the Argentine Republic on November 11, 2026, First Section, and signed by President Javier Milei and Minister of Economy Luis Andrés Caputo.

The regulatory framework of the extension

The decree is based on Law No. 15,336 and the Consolidated Text of Law No. 24,065, which declare electricity generation intended for interstate commerce and hydroelectric developments that must be interconnected as being under national jurisdiction. According to the recitals, the concession regime granted under the State reform of Law No. 23,696 “is currently experiencing the expiration of the originally established contractual terms.”

The Executive justified the operational continuity based on the need to “ensure the regular and uninterrupted provision of the electric power generation service” while the bidding processes are carried out. The processed file is EX-2026-95743191-APN-DGDA#MEC, with the intervention of the Secretariat of Energy of the Ministry of Economy and its legal service.

Adhesion within seven days and 45-business-day guarantee

Continuity is not automatic: it is conditioned upon a procedure that companies must complete within short timeframes.

• Concessionaires must send a Letter of Adhesion to the Secretariat of Energy within seven (7) calendar days from the decree’s entry into force, the model of which is contained in Annex II (IF-2026-107942197-APN-DNGE#MEC).
• Once the letter is sent, operation continues “up to a maximum date of April 30, 2027, inclusive, or until the act of Taking Possession of the Complex in question” following the bidding process, “whichever occurs first.”
• Those who do not adhere remain equally obligated to continue generating for a period of no less than forty-five (45) business days, a period during which the National State will take the necessary precautions for the continuity of the service.
• The decree is effective from the day of its publication in the Official Gazette.

The affected complexes and the pending bidding process

Annex I (IF-2026-108038872-APN-DNGE#MEC) individualizes the included complexes and systems. The precedents cited in the decree itself allow for the identification of the universe at stake: Decree No. 718/2024 initiated the process of new concessions for the Cerros Colorados, El Chocón-Arroyito, Alicurá, and Piedra del Águila complexes, while Decree No. 667/2026 called for a national and international public tender, together with the Province of Mendoza, for the Los Nihuiles Hydroelectric System (Nihuiles I, II, III, and IV complexes) and for the sale of 100% of the shares of Hidroelectricidad Mendocina S.A.

Article 3 delegates to the Secretariat of Energy the authority to establish the guidelines for the national and international public tender and to sign the concession contracts, in accordance with articles 14 and 21 bis of Law No. 15,336. Article 4 adds, under the terms of article 73 of the Ordered Text of Law No. 24,065, the power to grant the concessions and prepare the necessary documents.

Impact for the system and the provinces

The regulation clears the uncertainty regarding who operates the plants during the coming summer and autumn, when the original contracts have already expired, and transfers to the Ministry of Economy —via the Secretariat of Energy— the definition of the tariff and contractual future of the segment. For the provinces with plants (including Mendoza, a partner in the Nihuiles case) and for the Argentine Interconnection System (SADI), the decree guarantees continuity of generation, but leaves the preparation of the bidding specifications and the economic conditions of the new concessions in the hands of a secretariat, without yet fixing the schedule for the opening of bids.

Source: Official Gazette of the Argentine Republic, November 11, 2026, First Section (official reference: Decree 1349/2026, DECTO-2026-1349-APN-PTE).