Regional energy program empowers economic growth through green energy actions in the Caribbean

Tue Aug 6, 2013

The Organization of American States (OAS) and the European Union (EU) are pleased to announce the successful completion of the Caribbean Sustainable Energy Program (CSEP).{{more}}

The program, which was financed with a 1.4 million Euros grant from the European Union’s Energy Facility and was executed by the Department of Sustainable Development in the Secretariat for Integral Development of the OAS, officially ended in April 2013, after 54 months of implementation.

Through CSEP, the OAS, the EU and their partners sought to create the necessary market conditions for improved access to sustainable energy in Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

The program was based on a principle that is well accepted in the beneficiary countries, that economic growth can be achieved while limiting increases in the consumption of imported fossil fuels, through a sustainable and clean energy path which includes energy efficiency and use of indigenous renewable energy sources.

The CSEP supported efforts at transforming energy markets in the countries through the adoption of energy policies and plans and helped to create a climate for securing an additional 71 million dollars investment for renewable energy and energy efficiency projects. In addition, CSEP supported education and awareness and capacity building initiatives.

Other key CSEP outputs included draft legislation for the development of geothermal resources, and the production of a “Caribbean Educator’s Guide to Sustainable Energy Education and Awareness,” “Energy Efficiency Guidelines for Office Buildings in Tropical Climates” and a “Financiers’ Guide to Sustainable Energy Lending in the Caribbean.”

The CSEP was implemented in partnership with the Caribbean Electric Utility Service Corporation (CARILEC), the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat, and the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP).

The OAS and the EU reaffirm their commitment to facilitate a transition toward reduced dependency on fossil fuels, to provide affordable, reliable and economically viable energy services, and to embrace employment opportunities in the pursuit of producing energy through indigenous energy resources.