Latin America and the Caribbean are transforming the core of their energy transition. What used to focus on increasing the share of renewable energy has now evolved toward a different priority: ensuring energy security, improving operational resilience, and establishing regulatory frameworks capable of keeping pace with technological progress.
This was the main focus of the FES Government and Investment Virtual Summit, a preparatory forum for the XI Energy Week organized by the Latin American and Caribbean Energy Organization (OLACDE), scheduled for October 6–9 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The event will bring together ministers, regulators, investors, and technology companies from the organization’s 27 member countries.
Andrés Rebolledo, Executive Secretary of OLACDE, stressed that “the energy sector today is defined by geopolitics, technological innovation, and strategic security,” noting that the region currently accounts for 10% of global oil production and 6% of natural gas. This positions Latin America and the Caribbean as the non-OPEC bloc with the greatest potential to expand hydrocarbon production in the coming years, driven especially by Argentina, Brazil, Guyana, and Trinidad and Tobago.
However, it is in the electricity system where the most significant transformations are taking place. In just ten years, the share of solar and wind sources has grown from 5% to 20% of the regional energy matrix. Countries such as Chile have reached weeks with up to 43% wind generation, evidence of a structural shift that requires a reassessment of energy infrastructure across the region.
Dominican Republic stands out as an emblematic case
The country recently awarded 325.69 MW in its latest tender process and is preparing new calls for an additional 500 MW focused on renewable energy and battery energy storage systems (BESS), already considered one of the most ambitious regulatory moves in the Caribbean. Ricardo Guerrero, Vice Minister of Electric Energy of the Dominican Republic, commented: “The process concluded without objections and with bids higher than expected.”
The assessment shared during this webinar between governments and the private sector points to a clear conclusion: the energy transition in Latin America and the Caribbean has moved beyond its original climate objective to become a competition over competitiveness, grid stability, energy storage, digitalization, and energy sovereignty.
With more than 53 technical proposals already received for the FES Government and Investment summit, the official agenda in Santo Domingo—covering topics such as energy storage, electricity regulation, grid resilience, and gas integration—positions OLACDE’s XI Energy Week as a key space for strategically shaping the sector’s future in the years ahead.
In a global context marked by geopolitical volatility, growing climate pressure, and rising electricity demand, Latin America and the Caribbean approach this decisive moment with a competitive advantage: an energy matrix among the cleanest in the world. However, the challenge is no longer simply to generate more energy; it is crucial to sustain the system that makes its production possible.
