Rethinking the role of indicators for electricity access in Latin America: Towards energy justice

Electricity access is the primary indicator that countries use to create public policies for rural electrification. In Latin America, which has some of the highest inequality rates in the world, international organizations estimate that almost 20 million people still lack electricity access. A critical barrier to research and progress in energy justice is the lack of accurate information on the population living with inadequate electricity service. This review article examines the following in the context of Latin America: i) the definitions and methodologies for the indicator for electricity access; ii) the importance of a multidimensional indicator for electricity access that considers national governments' constraints; and iii) the failure of existing indicators in representing those living with poor electricity service conditions. This analysis finds that the shortcomings of methods for measuring indicators of electricity access make them inadequate to inform policies, and the use of the indicator may have been counterproductive in improving electricity service conditions. To significantly improve the conditions of people living with inadequate electricity service, indicators for electricity access need to provide a more accurate assessment, from the collection data process to the assessment of electricity supply conditions. Ultimately, this work aims to open a discussion in Latin America about ways that countries can better understand electricity access inequalities in the system and work towards a more just energy agenda.