Infrastructure in Central America - Opportunities and Dispute Resolution

June 13, 2024

On 12 June, Latin Counsel hosted a well-attended breakfast event at Hotel Bless in Madrid focused on Infrastructure in Central America - Opportunities and Dispute Resolution.

The event featured BLP Partners David Gutiérrez, Mauricio Salas and Luis Ortiz, as well as Noelia Marcos, Director of the arbitration magazine CIAR Global. The event was moderated by Manfred Peters, Associate Director of Latin Counsel.

The panelists discussed investment opportunities, arbitration and dispute resolution in Central America, highlighting the most important considerations to take into account when participating in infrastructure projects in the region.

They also discussed the state of public infrastructure in the region and its investment opportunities, as well as the main legal mechanisms available for the construction and operation of infrastructure.

The main infrastructure projects in the region that we should be aware of were also mentioned, such as the Puerto Caldera Modernisation Project, the Torre Esperanza of the National Children’s Hospital in Costa Rica and the construction of the inter-oceanic train/rail corridor in Honduras, as well as the cases of Guatemala and ESG issues.

About the speakers:

Mauricio Salas, MCIArb, is Head of Litigation at BLP, where he leads a multidisciplinary team of experts that forms one of the largest dispute resolution practices in the region. He has more than 30 years of experience in the legal profession, working in dispute resolution, environmental law and international trade.

Luis Ortiz is a partner at BLP and leads the firm’s Public Law, Government Contracts & Economic Regulation, Energy & Infrastructure and Telecommunications, Media & Technology practices, as well as its Litigation & Arbitration practice. With more than 20 years of experience, he advises on government affairs, public tenders and government procurement and is recognised for his expertise in administrative and constitutional law.

David Gutiérrez is a founding partner of BLP, one of the largest and most recommended law firms in Costa Rica and Central America, where he practices in the areas of corporate/commercial law, project finance and infrastructure, and arbitration. He is currently a resident partner in BLP’s Madrid office.

Noelia Marcos is the Director of CIAR Global (Revista de Arbitraje de la Comunidad Iberoamericana). She has been writing and publishing news, reports and interviews in Spanish on international, domestic and investment arbitration for ten years.

CIAR Global is an independent publication, but originally owes its existence to the sponsorship of the Ibero-American Arbitration Centre, CIAR.

Latin Counsel would like to thank the panelists for their excellent contribution, as well as all the attendees who honored us with their presence.