Peru Energy Ministry Enters 120-Day Reorganisation
POLITICS · PERU
Key Facts
- —The country Peru, governed since July 2026 by President Keiko Fujimori. Its Ministry of Energy and Mines (Minem) sets policy for mining, oil, gas and electricity.
- —What happened Supreme Decree 018-2026-EM, published in the official gazette El Peruano on 2 October 2026, places Minem under reorganisation for up to 120 calendar days.
- —Who is involved Minem and two attached agencies: Ingemmet, the geological and mining concessions institute, and IPEN, the nuclear energy institute. Signed by Fujimori and Energy Minister Guillermo Shinno, RPP and El Comercio reported.
- —What it means for you No rules change yet. Firms with pending permits or concessions face a review of procedures the government itself calls slow; reforms come only after the diagnosis.
- —Still open Which offices could be merged or cut, and whether reforms need a further decree or a law. A progress report is due after 60 days, around early December.
The Peru energy ministry enters a reorganisation of up to 120 days under a supreme decree published on Friday 2 October. The measure also covers two agencies attached to the Ministry of Energy and Mines (Minem): Ingemmet and IPEN.
The government says an evaluation of the sector found coordination problems and functional gaps. It cites slow rural electrification projects, delays on paperwork, environmental procedures and the handling of social and environmental conflicts, RPP reported.
What the decree sets out
Supreme Decree 018-2026-EM orders a full diagnosis of how the ministry works, Andina and Gestión reported. Its stated aim is to evaluate the ministry’s administrative, organisational and management situation and propose reforms.
The review covers internal structure, planning, budget, public investment, processes, staff, public integrity and coordination with Ingemmet and IPEN. It must look for functions that are duplicated, overlapping, missing or fragmented.
The ministry’s own planning and budget office runs the diagnosis. After 60 days it must hand a progress report to the ministry’s senior leadership, according to Gestión and RPP.
The findings must then become a technical report with reform proposals. The process is paid for from the ministry’s existing budget, with no extra money from the Treasury.
Why it matters for mining and power
Minem sets policy for the mines, oilfields and power grid that drive much of Peru’s economy. Ingemmet runs the geological survey and handles mining concession claims, while IPEN oversees nuclear technology.
The decree says the gaps affect “the institutional capacity to respond in a timely manner” to the sector’s needs, RPP quoted. That is an unusually frank admission from a government about its own ministry.
None of the reports describe any freeze on permits or concession processing during the review. That matters for miners and power investors with files already in the queue.
The risk runs the other way too. A ministry under review can be slower to take decisions while its structure and staff are being assessed.
Part of a wider push by the Fujimori government
The Peru energy ministry has been busy courting investors. This week Shinno met a German delegation, as reported in Peru’s Puno Lithium Could Interest German Carmakers.
The government has also sought wider decree powers from Congress. A compromise text narrowed them to security and El Niño, as covered in Peru Decree Powers Cut to Security and El Niño.
Minem also keeps the register for small and informal miners, a source of conflict in La Libertad. That dispute is covered in Pataz Miners Face Faster Exclusion Reviews After Peru Court Sides With Poderosa.
What Is Not Yet Known
The decree text in El Peruano counts the 120 days from 3 October, the day after publication. That puts the deadline at about 30 January 2027.
The decree does not say which offices could be merged, cut or created. It is also unclear whether reforms will need a further decree or a law from Congress.
It is not known whether the progress report or the final technical report will be made public. No staff changes have been announced so far.
Sources: El Peruano, Supreme Decree 018-2026-EM, 2 Oct 2026; Andina, 2 Oct 2026; Gestión, 2 Oct 2026; RPP, 2 Oct 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief