The event was structured into two main components: the Policy Dialogues on "Sustainable and Inclusive Energy Transition for Latin America and the Caribbean" held on November 26-27, and the 7th Plenary Meeting of the Regional Forum of Energy Planners (FOREPLEN) on November 28-29, 2024.
The Policy Dialogues aimed to address public policy challenges in the region, focusing on key issues such as leveraging energy transition to transform the regional development model and strengthening institutional capacities. Discussions involved stakeholders from public sectors (e.g., ministers and deputy ministers), private sectors, academia, multilateral banks, and intergovernmental organizations. The event concluded with a consensus on advancing a regional energy transition agenda, structuring and prioritizing the actions already being undertaken by countries to accelerate progress in this area.
During the event's opening, Martín Abeles, Director of the Natural Resources Division at ECLAC, emphasized the strategic role of the energy sector in combating climate change, generating employment, and promoting social inclusion. United Nations Resident Coordinator in Guatemala, José Miguel Barreto, highlighted the comprehensive approach required for energy transition, stressing the importance of partnerships, governance, regulatory frameworks, and citizen participation. Guatemala’s Minister of Energy and Mines, Victor Hugo Ventura, called the energy transition a historic opportunity to redefine Latin America’s economies and societies toward more sustainable, inclusive, and resilient development models.
Throughout the dialogues, participants shared key insights from their national experiences in energy transition. For instance, Betty Soto, Deputy Minister of Energy Efficiency of the Dominican Republic, underscored the need for local capacity building in emerging technologies, such as battery energy storage systems. Meanwhile, Luis Felipe Ramos, Chile's Undersecretary of Energy, detailed Chile's participatory processes in establishing long-term visions and state policies, including its leadership in decarbonization and green hydrogen.
Discussions also addressed challenges related to prospective energy scenarios outlined by ECLAC, investment needs in the region, and strengthening technical, operational, and political capacities for designing and implementing policies to accelerate energy transition. This segment also served as the kickoff meeting for the “Sustainable and Inclusive Energy Transition for Latin America and the Caribbean” project (2024-2028).
The second segment, the 7th Plenary Meeting of FOREPLEN (November 28-29), brought together energy planning directors and technicians to focus on technical aspects like resilient energy planning, participatory processes, and challenges posed by solar and wind generation technologies, electromobility, and energy storage. Discussions considered the impacts of climate change, such as droughts and floods, and geopolitical factors driving energy price fluctuations in the region.
The FOREPLEN meeting also marked the coordination of the newly established Energy Planning Council, under the Latin American Energy Organization (OLADE). Topics discussed during FOREPLEN will inform the Council’s deliberations, with ECLAC providing technical support. Future dialogue spaces will aim to strengthen synergies between the Council and FOREPLEN.
Convened by ECLAC, in collaboration with the European Union’s GET.Transform Program and co-hosted by Guatemala's Ministry of Energy and Mines, the meeting gathered representatives from Guatemala, Chile, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Paraguay, Uruguay, El Salvador, and Colombia. Strategic partners such as OLADE, IRENA, the World Bank, and the Regional Energy Integration Commission (CIER) also participated.
The FOREPLEN meeting reaffirmed the importance of this regional technical dialogue platform, identifying shared challenges and convergence points to enhance energy planning capabilities and knowledge. At the close, participants committed to continuing collaborative efforts, and ECLAC announced the 8th FOREPLEN meeting will be held in 2025.
