Representatives from 15 countries and seven international organisations came together for the 6th Plenary Meeting of the Regional Forum of Energy Planners of Latin America and the Caribbean (FOREPLEN) in Panama City on 12-13 December, 2022. The meeting was organised under the motto “Towards a Just and Sustainable Energy Transition in Latin America and the Caribbean” by UN ECLAC in conjunction with GET.transform. Energy outlooks were discussed against the main focus of sustainable electrification. Reducing energy poverty is a clear priority for the region where 17 million inhabitants do not have access to electrical services and 67 million people lack clean cooking options.
Heads, directors and energy planning authorities from Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the Dominican Republic and Uruguay reaffirmed the Panama Communiqué agreed by the region’s energy ministers last year, and aligned on the need for strengthened national and regional capacities and cooperation. The Forum’s role in achieving these objectives was highlighted by Rayén Quiroga, Head of the Water and Energy Unit, Natural Resources Division, UN ECLAC:
Entities such as FOREPLEN allow us to learn about the experiences, realities and priorities of the countries in the complex and multidimensional process of energy planning, which is vital for the transformative recovery of the region. Within the energy transition that ECLAC supports, the new energy industry based on more renewables, sectoral energy efficiency, integration and resilience is a true innovative engine of sustainable development for all. Long term energy planning is a central catalyzer of the energy transition for sustainable development for all LAC countries, and this is why we are strongly supporting and sustaining FOREPLEN along with our strategic partners.
The Plenary Meeting was held within the framework of the VII Energy Week, jointly hosted by the Government of Panama, the Latin American Energy Organization (OLADE) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB). Further contributing organisations included IRENA, the Regional Commission for Energy Integration (CIER), the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the European Union (EU). Together with GET.transform, the international organisations agreed to jointly advance cross-border cooperation mechanisms and expressed their interest and technical capabilities to support the second phase of the Regional Forum of Energy Planners.
With electromobility and green hydrogen chosen as topics for future technical cooperation, FOREPLEN members concurred that regional events and technical studies are the best way to continue building trust and a community of practice among energy planners in the region.
Learn more about the 6th FOREPLEN Plenary Meeting (in Spanish) at: cepal.org
