The series—hosted by the Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas (ECPA) and the Americas Business Dialogue (ABD)—will build on an exchange of ideas that began in February at the Fourth ECPA Ministerial Meeting, held in Jamaica. During one of the plenary sessions in Montego Bay, representatives of the private sector made policy recommendations to the energy ministers and other high-level officials in attendance on three main topics: grid flexibility, energy integration, and the role of natural gas in the energy transition.
The new series, which begins on September 14, will do a deeper dive into these same subjects, this time with the participation of member state representatives, energy officials, private companies, international financial institutions, and others. Three virtual meetings will be held on each topic, to allow time for presentations by experts and moderated conversations between companies and government officials.
The ideas and findings from the series of meetings will help shape the recommendations on energy that the ABD presents to the heads of state and government next year at the Ninth Summit of the Americas.
“Access to safe, affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy is critical for people’s well-being,” noted Julian Nebreda, President for South America at The AES Corporation—the company that chairs the Americas Business Dialogue’s Energy Working Group.
“At a time of uncertainty in Latin America and the Caribbean,” he said, “energy security and resiliency remain indispensable to ensure the continuity of critical services and power the social and economic recovery in the region.”
Increased investment in the energy sector can play a “pivotal role” in triggering economic growth, while investment in new technology, in particular, can help reduce the costs and environment impacts of energy and make the region more competitive, Nebreda pointed out.
The upcoming ABD/ECPA series provides an opportunity to continue the dialogue and identify conditions that can attract more investment and specific measures that can lead to new energy and infrastructure solutions, according to Nebreda. “The people of the Americas need this more than ever,” he said.
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