Montserrat and other OECS Ministers to Chart Sustainable Energy Roadmap for Economic Transformation
A landmark strategy to drive economic transformation through sustainable energy over the next decade in the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States will be the focus of the Third Meeting of the OECS Council of Ministers of energy this week.
Montserrat’s Minister of Buildings, Infrastructure, Utilities, Labor and Transportation, Honourable Veronica Dorsette-Hector will be attending the February 4-5 meeting in St Kitts.
The meeting's centrepiece will be the presentation and endorsement of the development of the OECS Sustainable Energy Roadmap 2025-2035.
Meeting under the theme “Sustainable Energy: Creating Opportunities for Reinventing the Economy of the OECS”, ministers are expected to review ambitious but practical targets.
These include achieving 30 per cent renewable energy penetration across the OECS by 2030, with a minimum of 20 per cent in each member state, and 50 per cent penetration by 2035.
Ministers will explore opportunities for regional power integration, potentially leading to economies of scale and reduced energy costs.
The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) will lead presentations on advancing regional integration through interconnected energy systems using submarine cables, marking a potential turning point in how OECS Member States approach energy security, collaboration and sustainability.
The OECS Photovoltaic Hosting Capacity Study, which aims to accelerate renewable energy adoption by establishing realistic, science-based PV limits for each country's power grid, is also on the agenda.
This will add impetus to the Eastern Caribbean Solar Challenge, a flagship homegrown renewable energy initiative.
Ministers will review progress on this initiative to broaden the uptake of solar photovoltaic power, which has already mobilised over EC$3.5 million or US$1.3 million) in policy, technical, and financial support.
The meeting will also explore the potential of geothermal energy beyond electricity generation.
It is believed that this provides significant opportunities for developing economies and communities in tourism, agriculture, and industry.
The OECS Commission believes the Council of Ministers meeting and the adoption of the Energy Roadmap will herald a decade of intensive action on sustainable energy, shaping policies that support the region's sustainable energy development, and ultimately leading to more resilient, competitive, and prosperous economies.