He helped Uruguay decarbonize. Can he help other countries do the same?

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.volts.wtf/subscribeRamón Méndez Galain helped Uruguay decarbonize its grid (today it’s 98% fossil-free) while keeping the utility public and letting private capital foot the bill. Now he’s trying to export the same playbook across the global South. We talk through how Uruguay pulled it off — the hydro “battery” for wind & solar “baseload,” the cross-party political deal, the market redesign — and what actually transfers to countries without the same advantages. We also discuss why, seven years on, no other country has followed Uruguay’s path.Chapters:00:00 – Introduction03:09 – From particle physics to a nuclear proposal05:46 – Taking the job as energy secretary07:00 – The 2008 crisis: drought, expensive oil, blackouts09:26 – Getting every party to sign the same plan12:51 – Why climate was not the lead argument15:42 – Attracting private capital without privatizing20:22 – What a public utility made possible23:06 – Planning a grid where wind and solar are the base load29:26 – Thermal plants as insurance, and the last 2 percent32:36 – EVs, smart meters, and building an electrostate37:33 – Why bills fell less than generation costs39:46 – What transfers to other countries44:15 – Optimum curtailment, Colombia, and Haiti50:51 – The political work, and the argument against the dominant narrative56:36 – The Global South and the NDC as development catalyst