From 17-19 March, the city of Montevideo, Uruguay hosted the IX Plenary Meeting of the Regional Forum of Energy Planners (FOREPLEN), bringing together more than 60 authorities, experts, and representatives from 17 countries across Latin America and the Caribbean. Jointly organised by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mining (MIEM) of Uruguay, in partnership with GET.transform, the summit served as a strategic assembly point to advance a more robust, coordinated, and action-oriented energy agenda for the region.
Participants represented a broad geographic spectrum, including Barbados, Belize, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the Dominican Republic, Saint Lucia, St. Kitts & Nevis, and Uruguay, alongside key international organisations such as the World Bank, IRENA, OLADE, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the Regional Energy Integration Commission (CIER), GIZ, GEIDCO, and the European Union.
The meeting underscored a shared commitment to addressing the urgent challenges of regional energy integration, the development of low-emission hydrogen, and the modernisation of regulatory frameworks to accommodate a rapidly evolving energy landscape. Specifically, the Forum addressed critical pillars of the energy transition, moving beyond traditional electricity models to incorporate fuel vectors and transport, confirming energy integration as a vital mechanism for regional security and sustainability. To support these objectives, the plenary marked the official launch of two landmark documents.The Methodological Guide for the Development of Energy Transition Plans in Latin America aims to enhance countries’ capacities in constructing long-term strategies, and the Caribbean and the Energy Integration in Latin America: Advances, Scenarios, and Recommendations illustrates energy integration as an indispensable mechanism to strengthening security, efficiency, and sustainability of regional energy systems.
As the forum concluded, FOREPLEN established five priority workstreams to move forward during the 2026-2027 period. These include consolidating a regional energy transition roadmap and scaling up towards a multisectoral approach for resilient planning. The energy transition roadmap would build on the work carried out to date on energy transition agendas, and be developed together with the participating countries.
By aligning these priorities, FOREPLEN ensures that energy planning will serve as a powerful engine for a just, sustainable, and resilient future across Latin America and the Caribbean.