The 11th Energy Week of the Latin American and Caribbean Energy Organization (OLACDE) began this Tuesday in Santo Domingo with the purpose of addressing how to guarantee a reliable and affordable energy supply, expand infrastructure and finance the regional energy transition.
Organized by OLACDE and the Ministry of Energy and Mines of the Dominican Republic (MEM), the meeting runs until October 9 and brings together authorities and representatives from the 27 member countries, international organizations, companies, academia and youth.
During the opening, the Minister of Energy and Mines, Joel Santos , stated that energy challenges require a joint response that allows Latin America and the Caribbean to convert its resources into development and well-being.
“We need more integration, more investment, more innovation and more regional energy cooperation,” Santos said.
He noted that, although each country will go through its own transition according to its resources and circumstances, the region can share knowledge, technologies, infrastructure and experiences to build safer and more resilient systems.
The minister highlighted that the Dominican Republic increased its installed capacity from 4921 MW in 2020 to 7120 MW in 2025, while solar and wind capacity quadrupled to over 2000 MW.
He added that the country projects reaching around 2,800 MW of renewable capacity and having at least 800 MW of storage by 2028. These initiatives will be complemented by firm generation projects that will allow us to respond to the growth in demand and strengthen the reliability of the electrical system.
For his part, OLACDE Executive Secretary Andrés Rebolledo emphasized that the regional goal is interconnection and that, to achieve it, investments, infrastructure, and an energy cooperation framework with enduring rules are required. He stressed that integration is taking on a new dimension as a tool for security and resilience, and called for broadening the regional vision on energy networks to build a transition that strengthens security of supply, promotes development and competitiveness, and, above all, improves the living conditions of the people.
Rebolledo also highlighted the Caribbean's opportunities to advance its energy transformation. The opening session placed energy security, resilience to climate change, and access to energy among the subregion's priorities.
Investments. Latin America and the Caribbean reached 67% renewable electricity generation in 2025, but they need to strengthen networks, storage and interconnections to support new uses of electricity.
Co-organized by the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), CAF — Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean — and GET.transform, the agenda addresses electricity and gas integration, financing, storage, methane emissions mitigation and energy poverty.
The program also includes the 56th Meeting of Energy Ministers, dialogue between governments and companies, the OLACDE Energy Excellence Award 2026, and sessions on regional integration with representatives of multilateral organizations and the business sector.