The Latin American and Caribbean Energy Organization (OLACDE) took part in the international conference Regional to Global, focused on analyzing the future of the energy transition in Latin America. The event brought together more than 150 scientists, experts, and industry representatives from Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Puerto Rico, Russia, the United States, and Uruguay, along with ambassadors and diplomats from several countries, in a strategic dialogue on the region’s role in the global energy transformation.
Representing OLACDE, Fitzgerald Cantero, Director of Studies, Projects and Information, participated in the panel Energy Transition Challenges: Latin America’s Potential and Perspectives. He emphasized that Latin America and the Caribbean possess a unique combination of resources — renewable energy, hydropower, gas and oil reserves — as well as more than 50% of the world’s lithium, positioning the region as an essential player in the present and future of energy. He also highlighted the need to advance greater electrification of demand, strengthen regional energy integration, attract long-term investments, and consolidate collaborative ecosystems among governments, the private sector, academia, and communities. He further noted that the share of renewable energy in the region’s electricity generation has already reached 67% and could rise to 76% by mid-century.
The meeting also provided an opportunity to examine the region’s structural challenges, such as ensuring universal access to electricity for more than 16 million people, as well as the real opportunities for expanding the energy sector, the role of regulatory frameworks, and the need to promote a just transition that benefits all communities.
