comision regional de interconexion electrica

What comision regional de interconexion electrica does

The Comisión Regional de Interconexión Eléctrica (CRIE) is the supranational regulatory and normative body for Central America's Regional Electricity Market (Mercado Eléctrico Regional, MER), established by treaty signed December 30, 1996 and operationally constituted via a headquarters agreement with the Government of Guatemala on September 29, 2003. CRIE holds international public-law legal personality with economic and functional independence, and serves as the sole regional regulator across six member states: Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama. Its primary functions are regulating commercial relationships among generators, distributors, and traders connected to the regional system; setting tariff methodologies and transmission charges; approving connections to the Regional Transmission Network (RTR); supervising market operations; conducting public consultations; and resolving disputes under the Reglamento del Mercado Eléctrico Regional (RMER).

CRIE's core technology and infrastructure under its oversight are the SIEPAC regional interconnection — a 230 kV transmission system comprising 1,796.2 km of line in its first circuit plus a partial 198.8 km second circuit, 15 substations, 28 access bays, 300 MW initial capacity (expandable to 600 MW), and US$494 million of historic infrastructure investment. The organization oversees three complementary regional bodies: the Ente Operador Regional (EOR, the market administrator based in San Salvador), the Empresa Propietaria de la Red (EPR, the infrastructure owner based in San José), and the Consejo Director del Mercado Eléctrico Regional (CDMER, the policy board), with the Consejo de Electrificación de América Central (CEAC) supporting planning.

CRIE does not generate commercial revenue from products or services. Its operating model is intergovernmental: funded through contributions from the six member countries and through regulatory fees tied to the activities it approves, with annual budgets set by CRIE resolution. Customer-facing counterparties are six national regulatory authorities (ARESEP, ASEP, CNEE, CREE, INE, SIGET) and EOR-authorized market participants. Recent operational signals — 2024–2026 RMER diagnostic reports, the 2026 international tender on long-horizon transactions, the 2024 financial audit of the MER compensation account, and approval of the 2026 EOR budget (US$10.1M) and EPR Authorized Regional Income (US$63.2M) — point to active regulatory modernization within a stable institutional envelope.

Name

comision regional de interconexion electrica

Legal name

Comisión Regional de Interconexión Eléctrica

Website

https://crie.org.gt

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Comisión Regional de Interconexión Eléctrica (CRIE) is the supranational regulator of Central America's Regional Electricity Market (MER), setting tariffs, approving grid connections, and enforcing the RMER framework across six member countries (Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama) and the SIEPAC 230 kV interconnection.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Guatemala City

HQ country

Guatemala

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

CRIE is the supranational regulatory and normative commission for Central America's Regional Electricity Market (MER). It regulates commercial relationships between public and private institutions connected to the regional electrical system, sets tariffs for regional transmission access, approves connections to the Regional Transmission Network (RTR), supervises market operations, resolves disputes, and enforces compliance with the Regional Electricity Market Regulation (RMER) across six member countries.

Product overview

CRIE (Comisión Regional de Interconexión Eléctrica) is a regulatory and normative body, not a product company. It oversees the Regional Electricity Market (Mercado Eléctrico Regional - MER) of Central America, which covers Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama. CRIE's functions include regulating commercial relationships between public and private institutions connected to the regional electricity system, setting tariffs, issuing resolutions, conducting public consultations, and providing market supervision and vigilance. The organization does not offer commercial products or services but rather regulatory frameworks including the RMER (Reglamento del Mercado Eléctrico Regional) and various procedural guidelines.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Reglamento del Mercado Eléctrico Regional (RMER) Comprehensive regulatory framework governing the Regional Electricity Market (MER), covering market rules, tariff methodologies, connection procedures, and compliance monitoring. Issued and maintained by CRIE for use by electricity market participants (generators, distributors, traders) and national regulators across the six Central American member countries.
• Regional Transmission Network (RTR) Connection Approvals Regulatory approval service authorizing physical and commercial connections to the Regional Transmission Network, including the SIEPAC interconnection system spanning 1,796 km across Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama. Provided to electricity market participants requiring regional transmission access.
• Market Supervision and Vigilance Reports Periodic regulatory reports and audits covering MER operations, including financial audits of the Cuenta General de Compensación (CGC) and diagnostic reports proposing RMER modifications. Published for use by market participants, national regulators, and the public.
• Public Consultations on Regulatory Modifications Formal public consultation proceedings for proposed modifications to the RMER and related regulatory frameworks, allowing market participants, national authorities, and stakeholders to submit comments on regulatory changes affecting cross-border electricity market operations.
• CRIE Regulatory Resolutions Binding regulatory resolutions issued by CRIE governing tariff approvals, Regional Authorized Income (IAR) authorizations for transmission operators, Regional Transmission Network connection approvals, and interpretations of the RMER. Issued to electricity market participants, EPR, EOR, and national regulatory authorities across the six member countries.

Quantifiable outcome

• Regional electricity market operations covering six countries with 1,796+ km of transmission infrastructure

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Ente Operador Regional (EOR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEOR is responsible for dispatch and energy exchanges between countries as the market administrator. CRIE coordinates with EOR on market operations, regulatory compliance, and market surveillance. EOR is based in San Salvador, El Salvador.
• Empresa Propietaria de la Red (EPR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEPR is a public-private entity responsible for execution of the SIEPAC project and system operation. CRIE regulates EPR's regional transmission activities and approves its Authorized Regional Income (IAR). EPR is based in San José, Costa Rica.
• Consejo Director del Mercado Eléctrico Regional (CDMER)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCDMER is the governing body responsible for developing the Regional Electricity Market and facilitating compliance with Second Protocol commitments, coordinating with CRIE and EOR.
• Consejo de Electrificación de América Central (CEAC)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEAC supports regional electrification planning and project development studies to promote regional electrification development across Central America.
• ARESEP (Costa Rica)coreOthersCosta Rica's national energy regulatory authority, serving as the National Competent Authority for Firm Contracts in the regional market.
• ASEP (Panama)coreOthersPanama's national energy regulatory authority, serving as the National Competent Authority for Firm Contracts in the regional market.
• CNEE GuatemalacoreOthersGuatemala's national energy regulatory body, serving as the National Competent Authority for Firm Contracts in the regional market.
• CREE HondurascoreOthersHonduras' national energy regulatory body, serving as the National Competent Authority for Firm Contracts in the regional market.
• INE NicaraguacoreOthersNicaragua's national energy regulatory body, serving as the National Competent Authority for Firm Contracts in the regional market.
• SIGET El SalvadorcoreOthersEl Salvador's national energy regulatory body, serving as the National Competent Authority for Firm Contracts in the regional market.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• ACER (Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators): EU-level agency coordinating national energy regulators across EU member states; structurally analogous to CRIE as a supranational regulator overseeing cross-border electricity (and gas) markets in a multi-country region.
• ENTSO-E (European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity): Coordinates 39 European electricity TSOs across interconnected markets; highly comparable to the role played by the EOR/EPR system that CRIE regulates in Central America's SIEPAC.

Broad incumbents

• CRE (Comisión Reguladora de Energía, Mexico): Mexico's national energy regulator overseeing electricity and hydrocarbon markets; comparable in regulatory function (tariff-setting, market oversight) though operating at national rather than regional level.
• ANEEL (Agência Nacional de Energia Elétrica, Brazil): Brazilian federal electricity regulator; comparable to CRIE in its regulatory mandate over generation, transmission, and distribution, though at a single-country scale.
• FERC (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, USA): U.S. federal regulator for interstate electricity transmission, wholesale markets, and reliability standards; analogous function to CRIE for cross-border transactions within the U.S. interconnected grids.
• CNMC (Comisión Nacional de los Mercados y la Competencia, Spain): Spanish national regulator with competence over energy markets including electricity; comparable role in tariff-setting, market supervision, and dispute resolution within a single-country system.
• Ofgem (Office of Gas and Electricity Markets, UK): UK regulator for electricity and gas markets; functionally comparable to CRIE in market supervision, regulatory framework development, and consumer protection mandates.
• Australian Energy Regulator (AER): Australian energy regulator overseeing electricity networks and markets; comparable regulatory scope to CRIE in tariff-setting, market monitoring, and rulemaking for the National Electricity Market.

Regional players

• WAPP (West African Power Pool): Regional cooperation framework for electricity among West African states; structurally similar to the SICA/MER framework that CRIE belongs to, with shared challenges in multi-country transmission integration.
• SAPP (Southern African Power Pool): Coordinates cross-border electricity trading among Southern African Development Community members; analogous to the SIEPAC/EOR arrangement regulated by CRIE, operating a competitive regional electricity market across multiple jurisdictions.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CRIE_org
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/crie-org

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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