The sixth Summit of Ministers of the Alliance for Climate Change and Energy, led by the Energy and Climate Alliance of the Americas (ECPA, in English), will take place from the 14th to the 15th of this month in Punta Cana. It will bring together prominent national and international political leaders, businesspeople, and key actors in the energy sector.
The summit will feature the participation of Luis Almagro, secretary general of the Organization of American States (OAS); Rayén Quiroga, head of the Energy and Water Unit of the Economic Commission for Latin America (ECLAC); and Andrés Rebolledo, Executive Secretary of the Latin American Energy Organization (OLADE).
Notable participants will be Mark Phillips, Prime Minister of Guyana; Lilia Burunciuc, Director of Operations for the Caribbean of the World Bank (WB); and Roberto Álvarez, Foreign Minister of the Dominican Republic. In addition, 15 regional energy ministries will be represented at the event.
The Minister of Energy and Mines (MEM), representing the Dominican Republic as the host country of the conclave, indicated that the ECPA will help promote dialogue and cooperation between the region's countries to achieve a fair and inclusive energy transition and net zero emissions by 2050.
By highlighting the importance for the country to be the organizer of this regional summit, thanks to its growth in renewable energies, engineer Almonte said that in this meeting, efforts will be redoubled to strengthen cooperation and dialogue to achieve the just transition towards clean, sustainable, and renewable energy in the Americas.
This summit’s topic is “Renewable Energies of the Americas: Integration and Innovation.” Its main objective is to promote regional commitment to accelerate the transition towards clean energy and encourage dialogue between the public and private sectors to identify opportunities and challenges in the energy transition and sustainable development. Additionally, it promotes private investment in the industry and strengthens regional cooperation mechanisms to support energy transition efforts.
En el evento se abordarán las nuevas tecnologías en materia de transición energética, tales como las baterías o sistemas de almacenamientos de energía, para moderar las fluctuaciones de las renovables, lo que se traducirá en la modernización del sistema dominicano.
También en el marco de la VI Ministerial ECPA, el Ministerio de Energía y Minas de República Dominicana firmará dos acuerdos internacionales con el Ministerio de Energía de Chile y con la Secretaria Nacional de Energía de Panamá, respectivamente, con el objetivo de cooperar, compartir experiencias y acciones que permitan avanzar en la transformación profunda del sector eléctrico y alcanzar un futuro sostenible con la participación de energías renovables en sus sistemas energéticos.
What is ECPA?
ECPA is an initiative of the Organization of American States, launched at the 2009 Summit of the Americas. Its objective is to promote sustainable energy development in the region through cooperation, political dialogue, technical exchange, and dissemination.
Pillars of ECPA: promotion of cleaner energy sources, universal access to energy, development of energy efficiency systems, promotion of regional integration, commitment to the development of resilient energy infrastructure, fight against energy poverty, and capacity development, research, and implementation of innovative technologies and nature-based solutions that contribute to mitigating climate change.
The ECPA steering committee comprises ten countries and is chaired by the Dominican Republic, which will host the 2024 ministerial meeting.