Caribbean Water-Energy Nexus Dialogue

Caribbean Water-Energy Nexus Dialogue

Marriott Courtyard Bridgetown ⦁ The Garrison Historic Area ⦁ Hastings ⦁ Christ Church

Bridgetown ⦁ Barbados

The OAS Department of Sustainable Development with the support of the Government of Italy is hosting this Dialogue, under the auspices of the Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas (ECPA). On May 25-26, 2015, Caribbean and Latin American Energy Ministers and Senior Officials met in Merida for the Second Ministerial Meeting of the Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas. During the Ministerial, the secretaries of energy of Panama, Mexico and the United States participated in a water-energy nexus discussion addressing the linkages, best practices, and potential for collaboration in the water-energy nexus. On May 24-25, 2016, water and energy experts and practitioners met in Panama City to follow up on the dialogue initiated in Merida and review ways to promote integrated water and energy management, showcase successful experiences, and encourage cooperation on these topics. This dialogue will provide an opportunity to look at the nexus in the Caribbean context.

Presentations:

• Water for Energy and Energy for Water: Identifying the Nexus in the Caribbean

Maximiliano Campos, Principal Water Resources Specialist, Sustainable Development, OAS. See presentation, here.

Juan Cruz Monticelli, Senior Energy Specialist, Sustainable Development, OAS. See presentation, here.

• Linkages between water and energy in the Caribbean context

Horace Archer, Senior Technical Officer, Renewable Energy & Energy Conservation Unit, Barbados. See presentation, here.

If mainstreamed, the water-energy nexus approach is a valuable management scheme to address challenges and opportunities in water and energy, identify and resolve trade-offs, foster synergies, and optimize outcomes across different actors and sectors.

• Power generation, agricultural production and tourism

Al Binger, Interim Executive Director, Caribbean Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency. See presentation, here.

Water and energy systems are closely connected in agricultural irrigation, domestic and industrial supply, water treatment, power, and cooling. Improving the efficiency of coupled water-energy systems through better management and infrastructure investment planning would benefit water and energy security. This session will analyze ways to meet these challenges in the Caribbean with a focus on cross-sectorial collaboration at the regional and local levels.

• Available tools for an Integrated Management of the Water-Energy Nexus

Zachary Clement, General Engineer, U.S. Department of Energy. See presentation, here.

Advantages and feasibility of integrated water and energy management will be discussed in light of the discussions held in the previous session.