On June 19, 2017, the Regional Energy Planning Workshop for Latin America and the Caribbean was held at the headquarters of the Latin American Energy Organization-OLADE in Quito-Ecuador. The meeting was attended by 23 delegations representing the Member Countries, and for the first time representatives of Caribbean countries not members of OLADE were also part of this event: Saint Kitts and Nevis, Antigua and Barbuda; And St. Lucia.
At the opening ceremony, the Executive Secretary, Alfonso Blanco said: “For the energy sector to be the engine of development, it is necessary to have a strategic vision so the countries know what is being done in each one of them, to generate an exchange of experiences “. During the event, Ecuador’s Vice Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy, Alfredo Samaniego, also attended, who said that the Ecuadorian Government feels the interest and commitment of the Organization to consolidate and its management.
Institutional Participants
Among the participants attending the workshop, Hugo Altomonte, an expert consultant in Energy Planning, was present via videoconference. He emphasized the importance of the information for planning and reiterated that “planning is not only a technical tool, but it should be economically and socially viable”.
In the course of the afternoon, interventions were made by international delegations, such as Ryan Cobb, representative of Belize, who thanked OLADE for implementing the Energy Planning Manual, a tool that strengthen Energy statistics.
Grenada was represented by the delegate of the Ministry of Finance and Energy, Kelly Cyrus, who mentioned that the documents generated from the implementation of the Manual, constitute a baseline to strengthen their national planning capacities.
Meeting with diplomats
On the morning of the same day, the Executive Secretary, Alfonso Blanco, held a meeting with the diplomatic corps representing the Member Countries of the Organization, with the aim of informing the diplomatic delegations about the lines of work and activities for the benefit of Member Countries. He also informed about the energy needs of these countries.
The Executive Secretary of OLADE, emphasized his interest in creating “a link between OLADE and the community” that becomes a fundamental axis during his administration.