Conventional engineering and regulatory engineering in distribution companies in Argentina

In 1991, the Argentinian electricity sector was transformed, the main characteristic being the privatization of most of its generation, transmission (transportation) and distribution companies, which were previously owned by the National or Provincial States and were vertically integrated, i.e., that within each company three activities were performed. Another important characteristic of the transformation was the vertical separation of the activities in such a way that a transportation company cannot be controlled by the generation or distribution companies. This paper describes the main features of the Ley 24065 de la Nacion (24065 National Act) which is the main regulatory frame in force since 1991. The institutions for the regulation, operation and administration of the market are discussed as are the regulatory engineering aspects.