THE RISE AND DECLINE OF ARGENTINE STATE-OWNED ENTERPRISES IN THE ELECTRICITY SECTOR: A STUDY BASED ON THE FIRMS WATER AND ELECTRAL ENERGY, SEGBA, AND HIDRONOR (1943-1983)

Abstract

This article analyzes the transformations that occurred in the Argentine electricity sector between the 1940s and the 1980s. Based on an analysis of official documents, management reports and balance sheets, and the specialized press, it studies the role that the national State played in the organization, provision, and distribution of electricity, exercising control of this activity through national and provincial state-owned enterprises (SOEs), mainly Water and Electrical  Energy (AyEE), Electric Services of the Greater Buenos Aires (SEGBA), and North Patagonian Hydroelectric (Hidronor). Special attention is paid to the activity of these SOEs, their performance, and the works implemented, such as regulatory changes and changes in the energy matrix, with consideration given to the alterations that occurred between the rise and decline of SOEs and different models of accumulation.