The march towards energy security in the Caribbean has been given a boost with the launch of the Caribbean Energy Chamber (CEC), a new entity aimed at ensuring net zero energy security across the region.
Melanie Chen, the founding Chair of CEC, held a press launch on the sidelines of the Guyana Energy Conference and Supply Chain Expo in Georgetown on Monday.
“CEC will serve as a hub for uniting all energy stakeholders in the Caribbean, including those from both public and private sectors [demand and supply sides],” Chen said. “We will be hosting workshops, round tables, and breakout sessions at conferences aimed at enabling actions to help the implementation of energy transition and security in the Caribbean.”
As a non-profit, non-partisan, and independent organization, CEC will be governed by a 23-member founding Board for the initial three years, after which CEC members will elect a new Board annually, a press release noted. Membership of the CEC is open to companies and individuals from the Caribbean and globally.
In its initial endeavors, CEC plans to concentrate on areas critical to energy transition such as energy efficiency, public awareness, and technical capacity development, including an engineering pilot program with Grenada and Trinidad and Tobago. Chen said the scope of its efforts will include grid modernization and promoting distributed generation; and assisting to develop bankable projects.
Chen said cooperation is a tangible solution to the challenges of the energy transition facing the Caribbean and an opportunity to work with all potential partners for the region’s future.
“Therefore, with the formation of CEC as a regional, self-sustaining, formative mechanism, it is my hope that this will help us advance the Caribbean’s energy security and prepare this region to stand up to the challenges of today and tomorrow,” Chen stated.
CEC is actively encouraging membership applications from across the Caribbean and all sectors to ensure a diverse and comprehensive representation.
The chamber is headquartered in St. Lucia.
