FES Government & Investment will bring together more than 25 ministries and public bodies responsible for leading regional energy policy , in a meeting that will cover the 27 member countries of the Latin American and Caribbean Energy Organization (OLACDE).
The meeting will take place on October 7 and 8, 2026 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic , within the XI Energy Week , whose full program will run from the 6th to the 9th of that month.
The initiative, promoted by Future Energy Summit (FES) and OLACDE, will establish a space for direct dialogue between ministers, regulators, financial entities, electricity companies, developers, technology providers and investors.
The key difference will be concentrating in one location those who design the rules, award contracts, plan the infrastructure, and evaluate the investments that will define the next energy expansion cycle in Latin America and the Caribbean.
OLACDE presents Energy Week as a regional forum for political and strategic exchange. The organization represents countries whose energy systems supply more than 600 million people and expects that FES Government & Investment will attract more than 1,000 participants.
Which countries will participate in FES Government?
The representation will extend from the largest South American economies to the Caribbean island systems , with different regulatory conditions, infrastructure needs and levels of renewable penetration.
Argentina will be represented by its Energy Secretariat, while Brazil will be represented by its Ministry of Mines and Energy. The energy ministries of Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela will also be present.
The call will include Bolivia, Guyana and Suriname , in addition to the agencies responsible for planning and sectoral policy in Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Belize and Mexico.
Authorities from the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Jamaica, Barbados, Grenada, Haiti, and Trinidad and Tobago will participate on behalf of the Caribbean, allowing for the discussion of the specific needs of island systems.
The institutional document for the meeting also anticipates the presence of various Panamanian authorities, as the country's energy agenda involves both the Ministry of Public Works and Communications and the National Energy Secretariat.
Andrés Rebolledo, executive secretary of OLACDE , will complete the group of institutional representatives who will lead the meeting along with government officials.
The variety of positions reflects the different administrative structures in the region. Some countries have dedicated ministries of Energy, while others integrate these responsibilities with mining, hydrocarbons, environment, natural resources, infrastructure, transportation, telecommunications, or public works .
This diversity will broaden the scope of the discussions, given that the energy transition requires more than just the addition of solar and wind farms . It also demands new connections, transmission networks, contracts, storage, resilience, and certainty for financiers.
The meeting will take place at a time of transformation in the regional agenda. The combined share of solar and wind energy has increased from 5% to 20% of Latin American and Caribbean electricity generation in a decade , according to the report presented by OLACDE following the FES Government & Investment Virtual Summit.
This growth forces governments to review the operation of their systems to reduce spills, manage variability, strengthen transmission, and have flexible resources capable of responding to rapid changes in generation and demand.
“The energy sector today is defined by geopolitics, technological innovation and strategic security,” Rebolledo stated, describing the new regional scenario.
In this context, energy storage will take center stage in Santo Domingo . Battery systems have ceased to be a complementary solution and have begun to be incorporated regularly into tenders, hybrid projects, and expansion plans.
Chile will arrive as one of the most advanced Latin American markets in BESS, driven by the need to reduce renewable energy cuts and shift electricity towards peak demand times.
Brazil continues to lead the regional incorporation of solar and wind projects, but faces discussions on flexibility, system modernization and rules for integrating large-scale storage .
Argentina is focusing part of its agenda on the Renewable Energy Term Market, the integration of batteries, and the expansion of electric transportation. Transmission infrastructure remains one of its main constraints, and the announced projects would enable more than 1,000 MW of additional grid connection capacity .
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Mexico awaits the consolidation of its new electricity framework, while Peru explores opportunities to expand its solar and wind power share. Uruguay, having achieved a high renewable energy penetration mix, faces the challenge of increasing flexibility and backup capacity.
Ecuador and Paraguay start from systems with a strong dependence on hydroelectric power , so diversification through solar, wind and storage solutions appears among their main opportunities.
Tenders under regional scrutiny
Public procurement will be another key focus. The Dominican Republic and Colombia will place their upcoming competitive bidding processes at the center of discussions between authorities, companies, and funders.
The host country recently awarded 325.69 MW of the 600 MW of renewable energy with storage initially planned . The approval of the purchase agreements has opened the financial structuring, construction, and milestone achievement phase for the selected projects.
The guarantees provided reach up to $3.8 million and the agreements incorporate economic penalties and early termination mechanisms in the event of contractual breaches.
The Dominican Republic is also preparing a new contract for 300 MW of renewable energy and another process to incorporate 200 MW of batteries , after a significant portion of the initiatives presented were left out of the first award.
The Dominican advance is significant for the Caribbean because it introduces storage requirements within renewable processes and forces the design of power plants with greater management capacity.
“It’s no longer just about how much I generate, but how I do it,” warned Juan Manuel Rivarola, Sales Director LATAM of Antai , explaining the technological change brought about by the new demands.
Colombia is working on long-term contracting mechanisms and conditions that will accelerate investment. The country must coordinate new calls for bids with regulations, grid connection capacity, and economic incentives to support the construction of power plants.
Guatemala will follow PEG-5 and has PEG-6 and PET-4 on its horizon, while Panama is moving forward with new long-term contracts. Costa Rica is debating regulatory adjustments to integrate batteries, and Honduras will have to redefine its conditions after the postponement of a 1500 MW tender.
Comparing these processes will give the event a practical dimension. Ministries will be able to evaluate contractual structures, technical requirements, guarantees, remuneration schemes, and award criteria applied by other governments.
Is there capital available to execute the projects?
Bankability will be the point of contact between the public agenda and business decisions. The availability of resources does not guarantee financial closure when regulatory risks, permitting delays, buyers with low creditworthiness, or insufficient infrastructure persist.
“The capital is already there,” representatives from the Inter-American Development Bank, Banco Popular Dominicano, and GET.transform stated during the preparatory virtual meeting. The remaining challenge will be structuring projects capable of meeting the market's technical, legal, and financial requirements.
Banks will analyze contract stability, risk distribution, guarantees, buyers' ability to pay, and revenue predictability. Developers will need clear rules, achievable timelines, and effective access to electricity grids .
FES Government & Investment will include high-level panels, roundtables between ministers and executives, meetings between companies and governments, meetings with financial entities, and specialized sessions on technology, markets, and investment.
“We greatly value creating this forum that will allow public-private debate on the energy future of Latin America and the Caribbean together with the main companies that operate in the region,” said Rebolledo.
One summit for different markets
Santo Domingo will be a convergence point for large-scale continental markets, countries reactivating auctions, economies with congested networks, and island territories seeking to reduce their dependence on imported fuels.
Governments with abundant hydroelectric resources will also participate, as well as those with rapid photovoltaic growth, and some that still need to create the necessary rules to integrate storage.
The importance of the meeting will lie in transforming that diversity into a shared agenda . Transmission, batteries, resilience, energy security, digitalization, private investment, and long-term contracts emerge as cross-cutting needs.
The 11th Energy Week will allow governments to present their priorities to companies capable of executing projects and institutions that can finance them.
For two days, Santo Domingo will concentrate much of the region's energy decision-making power. The expected outcome is the building of links between regulation, capital, and technology to transform national roadmaps into operational assets.