Energy without a strategy is the noise before defeat

“Energy without a strategy is the noise before defeat,” the article argues as it challenges Paraguay's official narrative about electricity demand, foreign investment and Itaipu's revenues.

The author says 2026 began with sharp energy contradictions. Official “binational” marketing claims that electricity demand has grown at “galactic” rates, including 50% in three years according to ANDE, while foreign investment is expected to arrive after a series of decrees. The article mocks what it portrays as a continuing promotional refrain despite economic and financial difficulties.

It also questions what happened to the $1.25 billion in annual benefits that the author associates with the 2024-26 tariff agreement with Lula, based on a rate of $19.28 per kilowatt-month. Itaipu Binacional, the article says, reported cumulative remittances of $1.497 billion from August 2023 to July 2026, including ANDE. The author highlights the gap between public claims and actual results, while saying the destination of the money remains unclear.

The article links national energy demand to gross domestic product, industrial capacity and living standards. Per-person energy consumption, it says, is one of the most reliable indicators of a society's economic development, especially in a poor country. Against that backdrop, it questions what happens when official accounts are deliberately “made up” while leaders speak of industrialization.

The author says the piece will review official results available so far without making a value judgment, while anticipating a tariff increase after 2026. The article criticizes the view that everything depends on tariffs and future negotiations over Itaipu's Annex C, and calls on experts, academics and historians to publicly point out any errors in the author's analysis.