00:00Economist and former minister in the Ministry of Finance, Mariano Brown, predicts that more
00:06data centers could be established outside of the United States in countries eager for
00:12investment.
00:13However, he says, concerns about the cost and environmental impacts still loom.
00:20But if anything at all, the likelihood of additional investment leaving the US in those
00:26particular areas the strongest, and they are going to come to the countries which are hungry
00:31for investment, which are hungry for jobs, which is the developing South.
00:37We are part of that.
00:38So, if anything at all, what you're likely to see is an increase in interest in areas such
00:44as ours.
00:45So, that's a plus depending upon how you look at it.
00:48It's additional investment, but it's the type of investment that we want.
00:52Brown, who is also a former trade and investment minister, tells the Morning Edition, the country
00:58must also pay close attention to developments in Venezuela.
01:02With the return of its opposition leader, Maria Machado, and the wider geopolitical landscape,
01:09particularly the implications for regional relations and the energy sector.
01:13The changes, now Machado is there, how is that going to affect the domestic dynamic?
01:19Yes.
01:20Now, Machado has known and has said that she would reverse all the decisions which were
01:27made by the previous regime.
01:28Well, now, that could put us in trouble, because that means immediately, what about shell arrangements
01:33and BP arrangements and so on?
01:35What about the dragon?
01:36Now, that is something we ought to be more concerned about than about what happens in North America
01:41from that perspective.
01:42He cautions against overlooking the pressing concerns within the energy sector.
01:47When you look at the structural issue, natural gas production has been declining.
01:52Oil has been declining.
01:53Right?
01:54Those are critical concerns.
01:55You have to address that.
01:56You also have to go with the diversification plan.
01:59But you have to address that in the short run, because that is your cash mainstay.
02:03So you have to fix that in the short run.
02:05Yeah.
02:05And that doesn't look like it's going to be fixed until late 2027, 2028.
02:10So it will have no immediate impact on the numbers this year, apart from the fact that
02:14we have had a rise in prices.
02:16Additionally, Brown warns, the shift in control of the U.S. Congress is unlikely to directly
02:22affect foreign investment here.
02:24However, he says, if President Donald Trump is pushed toward a peace deal with Iran and oil
02:31prices fall as supplies increase, this country could be in serious trouble.
02:36Nicole M. Romany, TV6 News.
