During the 11th Energy Week, OLACDE and GET.transform facilitated a high-level dialogue among South American and Central American countries to strengthen coordination between SINEA and SIEPAC. The Colombia–Panama interconnection was a central focus of the discussions, serving as a strategic link between the two systems.
Santo Domingo, October 2026. The Latin American and Caribbean Energy Organization (OLACDE) and GET.transform brought together government representatives from both subregions, international organizations, and institutions involved in energy infrastructure development, including the European Union, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the World Bank, the Andean Community (CAN), ISA, and GET.invest.
The meeting built on two well-established experiences in subregional integration: the Andean Electricity Interconnection System (SINEA) and the Central American Electrical Interconnection System (SIEPAC). Greater coordination between the two systems would make it possible to better leverage the complementary characteristics of their energy mixes and demand profiles, expand opportunities for mutual support between power systems, and facilitate more efficient use of the renewable energy resources available across the region.
The Colombia–Panama interconnection played a central role as a link between South America and Central America and as a concrete example for envisioning broader regional integration. The discussion provided an opportunity to examine its strategic importance and the lessons it can offer to support the progressive interconnection of the two subregions.
The discussion also addressed the conditions necessary to advance this process, including joint planning, regulatory and operational compatibility, institutional coordination, information sharing, and the development of new infrastructure. Participants also explored potential coordination mechanisms between SINEA and SIEPAC, as well as the initial components of a future joint roadmap.
Guido Maiulini, Head of Strategic Advisory at OLACDE, emphasized the need to connect the concrete progress achieved in each subregion with a long-term vision for Latin America and the Caribbean. He noted that greater electricity integration can expand cross-border energy exchanges, leverage complementarities between power systems, and strengthen energy security. However, he stressed that achieving these goals requires sustained political and technical dialogue, as well as the creation of conditions that enable projects to move forward.
Maiulini also emphasized that the challenge is not only to build new interconnections, but also to ensure that infrastructure, regulation, and planning evolve in a coordinated manner. In this regard, he highlighted the importance of gradually moving from existing subregional frameworks toward an increasingly integrated electricity network capable of making better use of Latin America and the Caribbean’s energy resources.
