The city of Montevideo hosted the IX Plenary Meeting of the Regional Forum of Energy Planners (FOREPLEN), organized by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), under the theme “From analysis to implementation: strengthening energy planning.” The meeting took place from 17 to 19 March 2026 at the headquarters of the National Administration of Fuels, Alcohol and Portland (ANCAP). It was held within the framework of the United Nations Development Account project, “Just and sustainable energy transition for Latin America and the Caribbean,” and the European Union’s GET.transform programme.

The event brought together more than 60 representatives from 17 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as technical experts and specialists from across the region’s energy sector, together with ECLAC’s strategic partners, including the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), the World Bank, the European Commission, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the Regional Energy Integration Commission (CIER), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the Latin American Energy Organization (OLADE), and the Global Energy Interconnection Development and Cooperation Organization (GEIDCO). The meeting convened authorities, experts and representatives of international organizations with the aim of advancing toward more robust, coordinated and action-oriented energy planning in the region.

Over three days, participants addressed key issues for the region’s sustainable energy transition, including regional energy integration, the development of low-emissions hydrogen, the flexibility and resilience of electricity systems, and citizen participation in energy planning processes. The sessions combined technical presentations, panel discussions, and collaborative workspaces to translate diagnostic assessments into concrete actions and define priorities for the 2026–2028 period.

One of the meeting’s main milestones was the launch of the Methodological Methodological Guide for the Preparation of Energy Transition Plans in Latin America and the Caribbean in Latin America and the Caribbean, which seeks to strengthen countries’ institutional capacities in the design of energy strategies. The document Energy Integration in Latin America: Progress, Scenarios and Recommendations was also presented, highlighting the importance of energy integration in improving the security, efficiency and sustainability of regional energy systems. In addition, the following recent studies were presented:  The Low-Emissions Hydrogen Industry for the Energy Transition: Opportunities and Challenges in Latin America and the Caribbean, and Structural Conditions for Productive Transformation Policies in the Low-Emissions Hydrogen Industry in Latin America and the Caribbean. These studies provide key evidence to support public policymaking, investment attraction and productive transformation in the context of the energy transition.

The working groups emphasized that the effective implementation of energy transition plans requires strengthening technical and institutional capacities, developing appropriate methodological tools, and promoting citizen participation with real influence. They also underscored the need to advance toward comprehensive and resilient energy planning that incorporates, in an articulated manner, the different components of the energy system, such as electricity, fuels and transport.

In this context, FOREPLEN reaffirmed its role as a regional platform for technical exchange and cooperation among countries, consolidating a common agenda to transform energy planning into an effective tool for advancing just, sustainable and resilient energy transitions in Latin America and the Caribbean.