Rio de Janeiro will host the 8th Plenary Meeting of the Regional Forum of Energy Planners (FOREPLEN) and the 2nd Meeting of the Regional Energy Planning Council of Latin America and the Caribbean.

On June 5 and 6, 2025, the city of Rio de Janeiro will host the 8th Plenary Meeting of the Regional Forum of Energy Planners (FOREPLEN) and the 2nd Meeting of the Regional Energy Planning Council of Latin America and the Caribbean. The meeting is jointly organized by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the Latin American Energy Organization (OLADE), in collaboration with the Brazilian Ministry of Mines and Energy and the EPE Energy Research Company, and with the support of the European Union's GET.Transform program. It will bring together representatives of governments, multilateral agencies, technical bodies, and energy sector specialists from across the region.

The VIII Plenary Meeting of FOREPLEN seeks to strengthen regional cooperation in energy planning, advance a shared energy transition agenda, and promote resilient methodologies that respond to the sector's challenges.

The opening session will feature Mr. Thiago Barral, Secretary of Planning and Energy Transition of the Ministry of Mines and Energy of Brazil; Mr. Martín Abeles, Director of ECLAC's Natural Resources Division; Mr. Andrés Rebolledo, Executive Secretary of OLADE; and Mr. Antonio Levy, Coordinator for Latin America and the Caribbean of GET.Transform, along with representatives from the Mining and Energy Planning Unit of Colombia and Empresa de Pesquisa Energética (EPE), the event's host.

Over the course of the two days, sessions will focus on the challenges of regional energy planning. ECLAC will present a methodology to strengthen the resilience of electricity planning, with an approach adapted to the regional context. The planning instruments currently used by countries will also be addressed, as well as the mapping of ongoing initiatives to promote electricity integration in Latin America and the Caribbean. Key topics such as national progress on energy transition agendas will also be discussed, with a focus on sustainable fuels. On the final day, working groups will be held to develop a common roadmap and a regional energy scenarios workshop, where countries will explore possible paths to achieve a more sustainable and secure energy mix.

FOREPLEN, promoted by ECLAC in collaboration with the European Union's GET.Transform Programme, acts as a platform for technical dialogue among countries in the region. This annual forum brings together national energy planning authorities and ECLAC's strategic partners, such as the International Energy Agency (IEA), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF), the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the Regional Energy Integration Commission (CIER), and the World Bank, to facilitate the exchange of knowledge, experiences, and methodologies within the framework of the regional energy transition.

The 2025 edition reaffirms this commitment, promoting a collaborative and technical approach that allows national efforts to be aligned with a common regional vision, adapted to the challenges of climate change, energy security, and social inclusion.

Event Agenda

Thursday, June 5

• 09:00 - 09:30: Opening Session.
• 10:00 - 11:30: Session 1: Assessment of planning instruments and next steps to move towards more integrated planning.
• 12:00 - 13:30: Session 2: Towards coordinated (integrated) planning: energy security and aggregate revenues.
• 14:30 - 16:00: Session 3: Towards resilient electricity planning in LAC.
• 16:30 - 18:00: Session 4: The role of sustainable fuels in energy planning and emissions reduction.

Friday, June 6

• 09:00 - 10:45: Session 5: Energy transition agendas in Latin America and the Caribbean: experiences and lessons learned.
• 10:45 - 12:00: Session 6: Towards an energy transition agenda for Latin America and the Caribbean.
• 13:00 - 14:30: Session 7: NDCs and Energy Planning.
• 14:30 - 16:45: Session 8: Workshop on challenges in long-term planning and scenario building.
• 16:45 - 17:00: Closing of the events.