US to support Caribbean Renewable Energy Forum
A US Government delegation, including officials from the US Departments of State and Energy and the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), will participate in the Caribbean Renewable Energy Forum (CREF) on October 15 and 16 in Montego Bay.
The delegation will highlight opportunities for partnership on renewable energy and energy efficiency, to help address Caribbean energy challenges and support cleaner economic growth in the region of the world most dependent on oil imports.
Energy ministers and officials from the Caribbean region will attend the CREF, along with participants from the public and private sectors and development finance banks.
The delegation will also highlight President Barack Obama’s Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas (ECPA), US-Brazil Biofuels Co-operation in Jamaica, and the availability of US government financing for private sector renewable energy development.
In addition to the conference, the US delegation will meet with Caribbean energy officials, senior staff of the Organisation of American States, Inter-American Development Bank, World Bank, and other international donors to discuss opportunities for deeper collaboration under the ECPA.
The US State Department, the Government of Brazil, and Organisation of American States will announce a request for proposals (RFP) for the implementation of the project Technical Assistance for Biofuels Development and Policy Support in Jamaica. The project will provide technical assistance to support the development and implementation of Jamaica’s biofuels programmes, provide information on how other countries are formulating legal and regulatory frameworks for a vibrant liquid biofuels industry, facilitate the sharing of perspectives among the respective stakeholders, and advise on appropriate technologies.
At the Fifth Summit of the Americas in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago in April 2009, President Obama invited all governments of the Western Hemisphere to join in the ECPA to promote co-operation on renewable energy, energy efficiency, energy poverty, cleaner fossil fuels, and infrastructure.
