The Latin American Energy Organization (OLADE) and Panama’s National Secretariat of Energy held a series of high-level meetings in Panama City on June 16 and 17, marking a milestone in the sustainable energy development of Latin America and the Caribbean.
Panama’s capital hosted three strategic events: the LXIII Meeting of OLADE Experts, the 2nd Seminar on Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), and the official launch of the National Energy Information System (siePANAMÁ).
The activities gathered delegations from twenty OLADE Member Countries, permanent observers, private sector representatives, multilateral organizations, and technical partners, reflecting a shared commitment to modernizing electric systems and strengthening regional energy governance.
During the opening session, authorities emphasized that Latin America and the Caribbean were facing a critical moment requiring an accelerated energy transition while ensuring the security, resilience, and sustainability of national and regional electric systems. In this context, technical integration, strategic planning, and the intelligent use of energy information were identified as fundamental pillars.
The first event of the program was the LXIII Meeting of OLADE Experts, a consultative body that brought together deputy ministers and energy directors from member countries. This meeting aimed to provide technical advice to the Organization’s Meeting of Ministers scheduled for October 2–3 in Santiago, Chile by evaluating strategic proposals and coordinating regional policy agendas. In its 2025 edition, the Meeting brought together representatives from 27 Member States, reinforcing its role as a space for generating technical consensus and aligning national visions around energy integration, climate finance, gender equity, emerging technologies, and a just transition.
In parallel, the 2nd Seminar on Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) was held, organized by OLADE in collaboration with the Central American Integration System (SICA) and sponsored by Huawei. This technical gathering addressed the challenges and opportunities associated with BESS technologies as tools to increase renewable energy penetration, strengthen grid resilience, and reduce emissions in the energy sector. The seminar featured panels on regulatory models, safety standards, grid-forming technologies, smart grids, and pilot experiences implemented in countries across the region. Discussions emphasized that energy storage is a key component for decarbonizing and modernizing energy matrices in Latin America and the Caribbean, while also building national technical capacity and opening new opportunities for regional technological cooperation.
The third event was the launch of siePANAMÁ, a national energy information platform developed with OLADE’s technical support and based on the SIEN Toolkit, which had already been implemented in thirteen countries across the region. The platform is managed by the Interinstitutional Energy Information Committee, led by Panama’s National Secretariat of Energy, and represents a significant step forward in transparency, open data, and governance. siePANAMÁ provides public access to official data on energy balances, supply and demand, prices, emission factors, regulations, and energy infrastructure, with standards of interoperability and methodological standardization that facilitate its use by governments, businesses, academia, and civil society. The system strengthens institutional capacities and integrates Panama into a regional network of energy information aligned with international best practices.
During the event, OLADE’s Executive Secretary, Andrés Rebolledo, emphasized that it was gratifying to witness the active participation of numerous countries, which turned this meeting into a catalyst for progress toward a more sovereign, inclusive, and sustainable energy matrix. He noted that the year 2025 represented a strategic opportunity to rethink the regional energy model. “At the Latin American Energy Organization (OLADE), we promote a just energy transition, grounded in technical-political dialogue and regional cooperation as key pillars of the process,” he stated.
The Pro Tempore President, Keisha Reid, Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Energy and Business of the Government of Barbados, expressed her gratitude for Panama’s hospitality and the active participation of all delegates in this LXIII Meeting of OLADE Experts. She highlighted the continuity of an agenda aimed at a just energy transition, one of the region’s most important commitments.
For his part, Panama’s Secretary of Energy, Juan Manuel Urriola, reaffirmed the country’s commitment to regional energy integration and the strengthening of modern governance based on data, technical cooperation, and political dialogue. “This meeting marked a decisive step toward more sustainable, resilient, and sovereign energy systems,” he stated.
These events reaffirmed OLADE’s role as a technical platform for multilateral coordination and reflected the will of its Member States to build a common energy agenda for Latin America and the Caribbean, based on cooperation, shared knowledge, and sustainable development.
