Accelerating Latin America’s Energy Transformation: RE and Economic Recovery

The Latin-American Organization of Energy (OLADE) and the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) organised a webinar promoting dialogue among Governments, development partners and regional and multilateral institutions on the regional and national perspectives for accelerating energy transformation in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Based on the global and Latin America and Caribbean specific findings of IRENA’s Global Renewables Outlook 2020 and Renewable Power Generation Costs 2019 report, the event provided a regional platform for the discussion on the ongoing efforts to accelerate the region’s energy transformation and deep decarbonisation while exploring enhanced collaboration and synergies among key regional stakeholders. The webinar also considered actions needed to advance a transformation of the energy systems in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The event took place on Wednesday, 19 August 2020, 11.00 (Eastern Standard Time - EST), and addressed the following points:

• Presentation and discussion around the key GRO findings, providing an overview of results from energy scenarios and socio-economic analysis.
• Energy transformation and the socio-economic structure, together with the relevance of economic development through renewables job creation.
• Region-specific findings of the GRO for Latin America and Caribbean member countries.
• Perspectives from regional leaders in energy transformation and discussion of insights from GRO 2020 and how can the region accelerate the deep decarbonisation process.
• Insights sharing on the benefits of promoting the energy transformation and the key role of clean energy for the economic recovery of the countries in the region.

Opening Remarks

• Gauri Singh, Deputy Director-General, IRENA
• Alfonso Blanco, Executive Secretary, OLADE
• Fiona Clouder, UK COP26 Ambassador for Latin America & Caribbean

Presentations by IRENA of the Global Renewables Outlook 2020 and Renewable Power Generation Costs in 2019

• Global and regional solutions to achieve energy transformation
• Socio-economic footprint of the energy transformation
• How falling costs make renewables a cost-effective investment

Moderated panel discussion

Moderator: Medardo Cadena, Director of Integration, Access and Energy Security, OLADE

Panellists:

• Fitzgerald Cantero Piali, National Energy Director, Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mining, Uruguay
• Ramón Fiestas, Chair for Latin America Commitee, Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC)
• Guadalupe Gonzales, Director of Electricity, National Secretary of Energy, Panama

To learn more about this virtual event, please send an email to regions@irena.org