Most countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, including Panamá, annually prepare their National Energy Balances in terms of final energy (BEN, for its acronym in Spanish), where the consumption of different energy sources is presented at the level of socio-economic sectors without having detailed information regarding the levels of efficiency and specific activities in which energy is consumed. The BEN methodology makes it possible to know the amount of energy that is made available to each of the consuming sectors (Final Energy), but not how much of it is actually consumed after passing through the system of use for the production of a good or service, once all the transformation and transport losses associated with it are discounted (Useful Energy). Few countries at the regional level have the methodology or resources to prepare a detailed energy balance, including consumption by subsectors, end uses and technological efficiencies, to determine useful energy consumption, which corresponds to the Useful Energy Balance (BEU, for its acronym in Spanish). However, all countries promote policies of rational and efficient energy use, in order to preserve their natural and economic resources and protect the environment, also contributing to global initiatives to mitigate climate change. The effectiveness of such policies depends on detailed knowledge of the characteristics of the consumption sectors, identifying the potential for energy savings in the different end uses, either by technological changes, substitution of sources or changes in consumption habits, which can only be achieved with the preparation of the BEU.
The Republic of Panama is one of the beneficiary countries that, using OLADE’s Useful Energy Balance methodology, and with OLADE’s support, prepared its National Useful Energy Balance for the year 2021, a tool that will be very useful for the country’s sectoral planning.