Caribbean Energy Chamber: Shared expertise benefits region

THE newly formed Caribbean Energy Chamber (CEC) is on a mission to ensure affordable, net zero-emission energy security for the Caribbean and wants all regional and international hands on deck.

CEC founding chair Melanie Chen says the chamber understands it will take a change of attitude, policy and energy transition to achieve the goal.

The CEC, established in February, describes itself as a regional, self-sustaining cooperative mechanism focused on energy security, energy affordability and a “competitive path to net zero (emissions).”

The St Lucia-based chamber will be governed by a 23-member founding board for the first three years, after which the members will elect a new board annually.

Chen renewed the chamber’s commitment to regional energy security.

“Because energy security is national security,” Chen said on June 11, the penultimate day of the Caribbean Sustainable Energy Conference 2024 hosted by the Energy Chamber of Trinidad and Tobago, at Hilton Trinidad, Port of Spain.

“The challenge is to find the sweet spot between affordability, reliability and sustainability but we have to start working together now.

“Because of the open nature of the Caribbean economies, most Caribbean leaders have a pragmatic foreign policy and work with all international institutions…for the wellbeing of their citizens.

“We share this vision with the region’s leadership and that will be reflected in the pragmatic approach of CEC.”

She said this approach is important because the Caribbean continues to face major issues, notably climate change, covid19 and international conflict.

“Climate change does not have boundaries and continues to produce more adverse weather which disproportionately affects the Caribbean.”

She said a global effort is needed to mitigate the effects.

All three issues have negatively impacted Caribbean economies and citizens.

“These challenges, while having a disproportionate effect on some, impact the lives of everyone in this region, regardless of economic size or ideological affinities.

“No geographic border can contain rising sea levels of the next pandemic and no border mitigated the global consequences (of the Ukraine war).”

She said a fourth issue has emerged in regional discussion, policies and legislation.

“This is ‘choice’ – one in particular that is forced, forced potentially to take sides.”

While its implications might not be immediately apparent, she said forcing a “choice” can have devastating economic effects.

“As is the objective of the CEC, these challenges can only be tackled effectively and equitably by the Caribbean working together.

“However, CEC will also promote (flexibility) for Caribbean countries to welcome assistance from others around the world when needed.

“The prosperity and security of the Caribbean in the decades to come hinges on the opportunity to have and not eliminate choice in its direction.”

Collaboration is difficult to achieve but necessary and must account “for differences among us but emphasises the commonalities that we share.”

Collaboration should serve as a platform to bring attention to Caribbean energy security “in a more consistent manner through policies that achieve sustainable impact for the common person,” she said, resulting in “tangible solutions to the challenges of the energy transition facing the Caribbean as an opportunity to work with all potential partners for the region’s future.”

Chen said she hopes the regional chamber “will help us advance the Caribbean’s energy security and prepare the region to stand up to the challenge of today and tomorrow.”

The CEC “will be pragmatic in its approach to help enable the energy transition,” she said, adding that “one of our initial priorities is technical assistance and capacity rollout in a timely manner.

“This is a key issue for the region.

“There are areas of the Caribbean (with) surplus amounts of technical and other capacities which can be deployed immediately.”

She said the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME) should also “make the movement of resources intra-region more efficient.

“This is also complementary to the technical capacity efforts from external countries and the multi-lateral institutions like CCREEE (Caribbean Centre for Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency), and we all need to work together with continuous and sustained interactions.”