The Regional Energy Transition Dialogues for Latin America and the Caribbean were successfully held in Guatemala

The meeting was structured in two instances: The Policy Dialogues on “Sustainable and Inclusive Energy Transition in Latin America and the Caribbean” which took place between November 26 and 27; and the VII Plenary Meeting of the Regional Forum of Energy Planners (FOREPLEN), on November 28 and 29, 2024.

The Policy Dialogue on “Sustainable and Inclusive Energy Transition in Latin America and the Caribbean” aimed to discuss the public policy challenges facing the region by addressing crucial issues, such as the opportunities that the energy transition can offer to transform the energy model. development of the region, or the need to strengthen institutional capacities. The discussions were held between different actors from the public sector (such as ministers or vice-ministers), the private sector, academia, multilateral banking or intergovernmental organizations. The event concluded with the consensus that progress must be made in the construction of a regional energy transition agenda for Latin America and the Caribbean, which structures and prioritizes the actions that the countries of the region are already carrying out, to accelerate progress. towards the energy transition.

At the opening of the event, Martín Abeles, Director of the Natural Resources Division of ECLAC, highlighted that the energy sector is key, not only for its enabling role, but also for its potential to promote the fight against climate change, the creation of employment and social inclusion. For his part, the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Guatemala, José Miguel Barreto, referred to the comprehensive approach to the energy transition, which must be seen as a transformative process that involves governments, the private sector and citizens, in which It needs to generate alliances, strengthen governance, create adequate regulatory frameworks and promote citizen participation. Finally, the Minister of Energy and Mines of Guatemala, Victor Hugo Ventura, emphasized the importance of the energy transition as a historic opportunity to redefine the economies and societies of Latin America to advance to more sustainable, inclusive and resilient development models.

During the dialogue sessions, relevant elements were mentioned to inform about the energy transition processes based on the particular experience of the countries. For example, Ms. Betty Soto, Vice Minister of Energy Efficiency of the Dominican Republic, pointed out the need for the development of local capacities in new technologies, as in the particular case of battery energy storage projects. Mr. Luis Felipe Ramos, Undersecretary of Energy of Chile, shared his country’s transition experience, highlighting the participatory processes carried out to maintain a long-term vision and a State policy, such as experience in decarbonization or green hydrogen , which has positioned this country as one of the most advanced in the region. Throughout the meeting he emphasized the importance of maintaining long-range transition policies and consensus among actors.

As part of the agenda, the challenges of the energy transition were discussed with respect to different prospective scenarios proposed by ECLAC and the investment needs for the region, the experiences of the countries in the design and implementation of energy policy, and the need to strengthen technical, operational, political and prospective capacities to design and apply policies, strategies and plans that accelerate the energy transition in the countries of the region. This meeting also served as the framework for the kick-off meeting of the project “Sustainable and Inclusive Energy Transition for Latin America and the Caribbean” (2024-2028).

During the second segment, on November 28 and 29, the VII Plenary Meeting of the Regional Forum of Energy Planners (FOREPLEN) was held. This meeting brought together energy planning managers and technicians and focused its discussion on technical aspects such as resilient energy planning, participatory processes in energy policy and planning, and the technical and regulatory challenges for planning that solar generation technologies bring with them. and wind power, electromobility, and energy storage, in a context of significant variability due to the impacts of climate change (mainly droughts and floods) and geopolitical changes that drive increases in energy prices and impact the energy sector. the energy of the region.

This face-to-face meeting of FOREPLEN also served as a coordination space for the recently created Energy Planning Council, attached to the Latin American Energy Organization (OLADE). Depending on the coordination with that organization, the topics analyzed within the framework of FOREPLEN will serve as input for the Council, of which ECLAC is a part as technical support. Future spaces for dialogue and deliberations on energy planning in Latin America and the Caribbean will continue to seek synergies between the Council and FOREPLEN.

The VII FOREPLEN Meeting, convened by ECLAC in collaboration with the GET.Transform Program of the European Union, and on this occasion with the Ministry of Energy and Mines of Guatemala as co-organizer and host of the meeting, brought together representatives of Guatemala, Chile, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Paraguay, Uruguay, El Salvador and Colombia, as well as strategic partners of ECLAC such as OLADE, together with IRENA, the World Bank and the Commission Regional Energy Integration (CIER).

The FOREPLEN meeting ratified the importance of this space for regional technical dialogue, in which common problems and points of convergence between countries were identified to improve their capacities and knowledge in energy planning. At the end of the conference, the participants committed to continue with this collaborative effort that benefits the countries of the region and ECLAC will convene the VIII FOREPLEN meeting in 2025.