CIGRE Paraguay successfully hosts XX ERIAC
The Ibero-American Regional Encounter of CIGRE–ERIAC is the most important international seminar in the Iberian-American Region of CIGRE-RIAC, whose member countries are Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Spain, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, and Portugal. In addition, it has the participation of representatives from Uruguay and the Dominican Republic.
Ciudad del Este, Paraguay
25-29 May, 2025
In May of odd-numbered years, RIAC organizes the biannual Ibero-American Regional Encounter of CIGRE - ERIAC, in the region called “The Triple Frontier”, a tri-border area of Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay, on a rotating basis among these three countries. During the ERIAC, sessions are held by the 16 “mirror” National Study Committees of the Region, in which the articles approved by the Technical Committee of the event are presented by the authors and debated by the participants.
In 2025, the Paraguayan National Committee of CIGRE was responsible for promoting the XX ERIAC. The committee embraced the challenge and, together with the ever-important partnership of Itaipu Binational, the event took place from May 25 to 29, 2025, at the Nobile Hotel & Convention, in the city of Ciudad del Este, Alto Paraná, Paraguay.
The figures relating to this Encounter were impressive, and surpassed all expectations regarding participants and quality, hence reflecting the excellence of this 20th edition. Thus, it is with great pride that we inform that the event had 850 participants, representing 16 countries, 284 private companies, 306 power generation, transmission and distribution entities, and 106 teaching and research institutions, others 156, of which there were 372 participants from Brazil, 288 from Paraguay, 62 from Argentina, 52 from Colombia, 25 from Chile, 12 from Spain, 6 from Mexico, 6 from Peru, and 27 from 9 other countries.
The presence of these talented people enriched each of the 106 sessions and made possible the sharing of experiences and insights from different contexts.
Opening Ceremony
The opening ceremony of the XX ERIAC (Ibero-American Regional Encounter of CIGRE) took place on Sunday, May 25, in Ciudad del Este, Paraguay.
Those participating in this ceremony included the President of ANDE, Felix Sosa, representing the Paraguayan Director General of ITAIPU; Hugo Zarate, representing the Brazilian Director General of ITAIPU; Renato Sacramento, the President of CIGRE Paraguay; Silver Guerrero, the President of RIAC; Pablo Herrerias, representing the President of CIGRE; Márcio Szechtman; and the Governor of Alto Paraná, Landy Torres.
Also at this ceremony, awards were presented to the “distinguished members of the RIAC”, Helio Pereira (post mortem) from Paraguay and Pedro Cabral from Portugal.
Expo ERIAC
At the end of the Opening Session, a welcoming cocktail was offered and the EXPO-ERIAC was inaugurated, providing participants with the opportunity to learn about the latest innovations, projects, and solutions developed by the companies and institutions present.
The variety and quality of the stands certainly impressed all visitors, thereby stimulating new ideas and partnerships.
Quality technical sessions – The high point of the XX ERIAC
On May 26, 27, and 28, the Technical Sessions of the 16 CIGRE Study Committees were held. During this period, 106 Technical Sessions took place in which 408 papers selected by the Technical Committee from a total of 780 synopses received were presented and debated. The technical discussions enriched the event, by dealing with the use of new technologies, methods, and practices developed by power utilities, manufacturers, research centers, and universities.
The Technical Sessions were moderated by experts from Brazil, Argentina Paraguay, Colombia, several of whom are regular members of the CIGRE Study Committees.
The WiE and NGN Panel
With the motto “Driving Change: Equity and youth at the heart of the electricity sector. Join the transformation!”, this panel was aimed at young professionals and students, men and women, with the goal of encouraging their active participation in the energy industry.
The panel included the participation of Carolina Villasanti of CIGRE Paraguay, Gabriela Desiree, coordinator of WIE-CIGRE Brazil; Laura Casado, president of NGN-CIGRE Spain and Laura Santander Hernández, WIE representative from Mexico .
During the panel, space was given for a debate among leaders in the electricity sector about the role of young people and women in the energy transformation. Additionally, efforts were made to promote female leadership through the exchange of experiences and the creation of networks.
Forum of nations
On the afternoon of May 28, the Forum of Nations was held with the theme "Best practices and opportunities for the electrical integration of the RIAC countries”.
The forum was moderated by Félix Gallego, head of electrical studies at CAMMESA and president of the national technical committee of CIGRE-Argentina, and the following presentations were given.
RIAC WG Progress Report on Electrical Integration of RIAC Countries
Speaker: Alfredo Cárdenas, Deputy Manager of Regulatory Affairs at Transelec of CIGRE Chile.
Regional Energy Integration: Paraguay's Vision
Speaker: Rolando Benítez, head of the operations division of ANDE – Paraguay
Regional Electrical Energy Integration: Opportunities in the Energy Transition
Speaker: María Alzira Noli Silveira – Specialist of the National Electric System Operator (ONS) and Director of corporate affairs at CIGRE-Brazil.
After the lectures had finished, there was a question-and-answer session with the participants, and debates were held on the topics presented. This edition of the Forum of Nations provided an excellent update on the topic of best practices and opportunities for electrical integration in RIAC countries.
Panel Meeting
A notable variation of this 20th edition was the inclusion of two panel meetings. The following topics were discussed during the panels.
- “Integration of renewable energies and challenges in systems operations” with the participation as moderator of Ubaldo Fernandez (ANDE) and the participation as panelists of Abel Mendonca Sousa de Oliveira (ONS), Lautaro Pozo (CAMMESA), María Belén Cristiane (CAMMESA) and Nicolas Yedrzejewski (UTE). During the session, the impacts of the integration of renewables into the operation of the electricity sector, and lessons learned, were discussed.
- "Power System Protection in the energy Transition" with the participation as moderators of Gustavo Mereles (ITAIPU Binacional) and Carolina Villasanti (ITAIPU Binacional), and the participation as panelists of Julio Oliveira (HITACHI ENERGY), Oswaldo Foroni (SIEMENS), Guilherme Lisboa (AESA BELDEN), Rafael Scheffer (WEB), Fred Steinhauser (AESA/OMICROM) and Anton Krupskii (AESA/WELOTEC)). During the session, key topics related to the digitization of electrical systems were addressed:
- The convergence between IT and OT, the challenges of cybersecurity in smart networks and,
- The virtualization of substation functions, and new approaches to testing and validation in digital environments.
The event offered an in-depth and up-to-date technical look at how the industry is responding to the challenges of the energy transition through technological innovation, safety regulations and new digital tools for power system protection.
Innovations
During the XX ERIAC event, several innovations were implemented, especially the digital technological adaptation that transformed the ordinary into the extraordinary in this twentieth edition. For this occasion, a significant investment was made in an exclusive event website, designed to facilitate arrangements before and during the event, in addition to the incorporation of digital kiosks, interactive totems and a mobile application that accompanied the activities in real time. This edition also introduced booths dedicated to promoting Paraguayan culture, creating a space for the exhibition of Paraguayan crafts and typical drinks, thus enriching the cultural experience of the attendees.
Closing session
After the Forum of Nations, the Closing Session of the XX ERIAC took place. On this occasion, the coordinator of the Technical Committee, Rodrigo Chaparro, gave a presentation, during which he highlighted the high technical level achieved by the event. In addition, he also presented the main technical conclusions resulting from the articles and debates and disclosed the three best papers from each one of the 16 Study Committees.
The authors of the best papers that stood out for their innovations and technical qualities were duly honored and received certicates of recognition.
Lastly, closing the XX ERIAC, the President of CIGRE-Paraguay, Silver Guerrero took the floor, and thanked and congratulated everyone who had contributed to the success of the event.
Gala dinner
On the night of May 28, the XIX ERIAC Gala Dinner was held. During dinner, there were also music performances and a stunning staging of the Legend of Chaco War, which made this superbly special last moment of the event stand out even more.
RIAC Meeting
On May 24 and 25, which preceded the event, the 33rd ordinary meeting of the Iberian-American Region of CIGRE-RIAC was held, which covered the organizational aspects of RIAC and its National Committees, as well as the latest information and actions to hold XX ERIAC.
At this meeting, the new RIAC Board of Directors was also elected, for the period from May/2025 to May/2027, with the following elected members:
- President: Josias Matos de Araujo - Brasil
- Vice-president: Carolina Villasanti - Paraguay
- Technical Director: Alfredo Cárdenas – Chile
- Secretary: Hugo Valente - Portugal
- Co-Secretary: Nicolás de San Juan - Argentina
- Event Organization Director: Adriana de Castro Passos Martins -Brasil
Final remarks
The XX ERIAC consolidated the innovations implemented in the last events, thus contributing to raising the technical level of both the papers presented and the debates, as well as expanding the sharing of knowledge and the strengthening of the friendship and CIGRE spirit in the Iberian-American Region.
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