Registration Opens

LNG as an Anchor: Defining the Caribbean’s Energy Security Strategy

Pre-Conference Workshop | Hosted by Excelerate Energy

Hosted by: 

CREF Opening Reception and Networking Cocktail

Join us as we open CREF’s first edition in Panama, bringing together leaders from across the Caribbean energy market for an evening of networking and conversation ahead of two days of substantive discussion, dealmaking, and collaboration.

Registration & Networking

Chairperson Welcome

• 

  Gillian Charles-Gollop

  Caribbean Development Bank
  Vice President, Corporate Services

Caribbean Energy Sovereignty in a New Global Order

Across fuel markets, financing, and geopolitics, the ground has shifted significantly over the past 12 months. How does the new landscape impact the regional energy agenda?

• Can the region turn today’s volatility into momentum for energy sovereignty?
• Where is the Caribbean most exposed e.g. fuel supply, financing, technology, climate finance – and how do we mitigate, adapt and invest?
• Could deeper regional coordination improve the bid for sovereignty – and enhance resilience, affordability, and security?

• 

  Melanie Chen

  Caribbean Energy Chamber
  Founding Chair

• 

  Dr. James Fletcher

  CARICOM | Global Green Growth Institute | REN21
  Climate Envoy | Council Member | Renewable Energy Champion for Latin America and the Caribbean

• 

  Dr. Mohammad Rafik Nagdee

  Caribbean Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (CCREEE)
  Executive Director

• 

  Rosilena Lindo Riggs

  Rosedan Consulting
  Founder and Global Energy & Climate Advisor Moderator
  

The CREF Ministerial: What Will Caribbean Governments Do Next?

Caribbean governments are being asked to deliver affordable power, hit transition targets, restore utility balance sheets, and rebuild after each storm, often with the same fiscal tools. What gets prioritized, what gets deferred, and where do governments need the private sector and the multilaterals to step up?

• How are governments balancing affordability, utility sustainability, and public confidence during transition?
• Where can regional cooperation reduce costs, build scale, increase resilience and accelerate delivery?
• Where does the next phase of reform need to go: tariff structure, regulatory independence, or procurement?

• 

  Hon. Mark A.G. Brantley

  Nevis Island Administration
  Premier

• 

  Hon. Keithson H. Charles

  Government of Saint Lucia
  Minister for Physical Development and Public Utilities

• 

  Hon. JoBeth Lillian Coleby-Davis

  Government of The Bahamas
  Minister of Energy, Utilities and Aviation

• 

  Dr. the Hon. Vince Henderson

  Commonwealth of Dominica
  Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Business, Trade and Energy

• 

  Dr. Wendell Samuel

  Secretariat of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM)
  Senior Advisor to the CARICOM Secretary-General | Assistant Secretary-General (ag) Economic Integration Innovation and Development

• 

  Roberto G. Aiello

  Inter-American Development Bank
  Principal Energy Specialist and Coordinator for the Caribbean Moderator
  

Networking Break

Capital Flows into Caribbean Energy: What’s Actually Getting Financed

Projects move when risk is shared, returns are credible, and the structure is clear. What financing structures are working in the Caribbean today?

• Where is capital flowing today and what technologies or business models are supporting appetite?
• How are corporate and industrial offtakers shaping project bankability, and where is demand emerging for private or behind-the-meter supply?
• Where do projects stall between concept, procurement, and financing,  and why?
• How is risk transfer and insurance evolving as storms get more frequent?
• What policy and regulatory updates are needed to increase the flow of private capital into regional energy projects?

• 

  Gerardo Aguilar

  Sygnus Capital USA
  Head of Climate and Energy

• 

  Tiago Favarin de Moraes

  Marsh Fac RE
  Head of Client Fac

• 

  Racquel Moses

  Caribbean Climate-Smart Accelerator
  Chief Executive Officer

• 

  Kemar Polius

  CIBC Caribbean
  Senior Director, Head of Corporate Banking and Sustainable Finance

• 

  Marcos Rampoldi

  BroadSpan Asset Management LLC
  Managing Partner

• 

  Dustin Delany

  Dentons
  Chair and Chief Managing Partner Moderator
  

Converting Institutional Support into Project Delivery

How can governments, utilities and developers better leverage the expanding range of tools on offer by DFIs, ECAs, MDBs and climate finance providers?

• How are bilateral lending, guarantees, and export credit tools being adapted for small island markets?
• What defines an implementation-ready pipeline from a lender or ECA perspective?
• How can smaller markets structure projects to meet procurement, resilience, and credit requirements?
• Where can regional coordination or aggregation strengthen outcomes?
• What role can blended finance play in crowding in private capital and reducing perceived market risk?

• 

  Ina de Visser

  GIZ
  Head of Program, NDC-TEC

• 

  Gabriela Elizondo-Azuela

  The World Bank
  Practice Manager, Energy Infrastructure, Latin America and the Caribbean

• 

  David Nygaard

  Export Development Canada (EDC)
  Chief Representative, Andean, Central America & Caribbean Region

• 

  María Vargas

  European Investment Bank
  Principal Advisor, Latin America and the Caribbean

• 

  Kiesha Farnum

  Caribbean Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (CCREEE)
  Head of Partnerships and Programmes Moderator
  

Networking Lunch

The Utility CEO Discussion: Modernizing the Grid Under Pressure

Utilities must modernize fast while integrating renewables, managing behind-the-meter growth, and holding tariffs.

• What urgent adjustments to financing and regulatory approaches are necessary to keep utilities viable?
• Where does the next dollar of capex go: generation, storage, or T&D hardening?
• At what point does behind-the-meter solar stop being a contribution and start being a threat to utility solvency? What’s the cost-recovery model that works?
• What variable renewables penetration can your grid actually absorb today, and what has to change to push it higher?
• How can AI and digital tools help better forecast demand, manage intermittent renewables, dispatch storage and reduce outages for regional grids?

• 

  Christina Alston

  Bahamas Power and Light Company Limited
  Executive Chairman

• 

  Delano R. Arthur

  Turks and Caicos Islands Government
  Commissioner, Energy and Utilities Department

• 

  Hon. Wayne M. Caines

  Liberty Group Limited and Bermuda Electric Light Company Limited (BELCO)
  President

• 

  Devon Cox

  Pelican Energy TCI
  President

• 

  Hugh Grant

  Jamaica Public Service Company
  President & CEO

• 

  Dr. Ashok Sarkar

  The World Bank
  Task Team Leader & Senior Energy Specialist Moderator
  

The Right Partners: Who is Stepping Up?

With a more collaborative network of bilateral partners emerging, from Europe and Central America to leading energy and financial institutions, how can the region bring global capital, expertise and private sector commitment into the fold?

• Which international partners are increasing their focus on the Caribbean and why?
• How are hemispheric, and global actors repositioning themselves in the context of Caribbean energy and trade?
• Who’s actually showing up with capital and commitment?
• How does the Caribbean ensure that it sets the agenda rather than respond to someone else’s?

• 

  Judith Ephraim Schmidt

  Caribbean Development Bank
  Sustainable Energy Coordinator

• 

  Filippo La Verghetta

  EU Delegation to Barbados, the Eastern Caribbean States and the OECS
  Deputy Head of the Regional Partnerships Section

• 

  Ingrid Lavine

  UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO)
  Climate and Renewable Energy Adviser, Caribbean Development Team

• 

  Dr. Ricaurte Vásquez Morales

  Panama Canal Authority
  Former CEO

• 

  Ramiro Gomez Barinaga

  RELP
  Global Director for Country Delivery Moderator
  

Networking Break

Redefining Energy Resilience

As Caribbean power systems evolve toward renewable, distributed, and digital architectures, the definition of resilience is changing. What does it mean to build a grid that can withstand shocks, adapt fast, and keep power affordable?

• What does resilience actually mean in a more distributed, renewable system — and how do we measure it?
• Which investments deliver the greatest impact: hardening, redundancy, storage, or flexibility?
• What role will microgrids, distributed generation, and digital tools play in next-generation systems?
• What will it take to move from pilot projects to systemic, island-wide resilience at speed?

• 

  Christina Alston

  Bahamas Power and Light Company Limited
  Executive Chairman

• 

  Marsha Atherley-Ikechi

  OOCUR
  Executive Director

• 

  Dwayne Cenac

  Dominica Electricity Services – DOMLEC
  General Manager

• 

  Eleanor Jones

  Generation Procurement Entity (GPE) Jamaica
  Member

• 

  Malaika Masson

  Inter-American Development Bank
  Lead Energy Specialist Moderator
  

Orchestrating the Distributed Grid: VPPs, DERMS & the Future of Caribbean Power Systems

As distributed energy systems accelerate across the region, utilities and regulators face a new challenge: how to coordinate increasingly decentralized grids while maintaining reliability, visibility, and system control.  Featuring lessons from the USVI and Puerto Rico, this session explores how tools such as virtual power plants and distributed energy resource management systems are bolstering island energy systems.

• Is distributed energy becoming the dominant growth model for Caribbean power systems?
• Can VPPs and DERMS transform customer-owned assets into dispatchable grid resources and  help utilities maintain visibility, dispatch control, and reliability?
• What lessons are emerging from the USVI and Puerto Rico experiences?
• What digital, regulatory, and market tools are needed to unlock customer participation, flexibility, and a more resilient Caribbean grid?

• 

  Kyle Fleming

  Virgin Islands Energy Office
  Director

• 

  Ian Welch-Phillips

  Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI)
  Manager, Global Islands Program

• 

  Agnes Crespo-Quintana

  Institute for Building Technology and Safety (IBTS)
  Director, Caribbean Region Moderator
  

Awards Presentation & Showcase

Networking Cocktail Reception

CREF Fun Run + Net-walk

Registration and Coffee Networking

Day Two Chairperson Welcoming

The Project Pipeline: What’s Moving, What’s Stuck & What’s Next

Which projects and tenders are progressing towards procurement, financing, and construction across the Caribbean?

• Which projects are approaching procurement or market engagement, and what will determine whether they move successfully into delivery?
• What financing, procurement and commercial structures are helping projects advance?
• Where are projects being anchored by corporate or industrial demand, including behind-the-meter and private supply models?
• What barriers remain, and how are investors and developers navigating them?
• Where should investors, developers and project partners be looking for the next wave of opportunities?

• 

  Wayne Grant

  RELP
  Country Energy Expert (Jamaica)

• 

  Deon Kelly

  Ministry of Public Utilities, Energy and Logistics (MPUEL), Belize
  Acting Energy Director

• 

  Bruce Levy

  BMR Energy
  CEO and President

• 

  Stéphanie Nour

  Econoler
  International Director and Lead for Latin America and the Caribbean

• 

  Ricardo Rico

  ACERO Capital
  Head - Debt Capital Markets & Finance Moderator
  

Caribbean Geothermal: A Breakthrough Year

After years of commitment and setbacks, geothermal is entering a delivery phase. What enabled progress, and what comes next?

• What financing structures are working for geothermal in small island markets?
• What lessons from recent drilling and procurement should shape the next wave?
• How has political commitment driven progress? Which policy decisions mattered most?
• Where can new resources be developed next, and how can regional partners support scale-up?

• 

  Hon. Mark A.G. Brantley

  Nevis Island Administration
  Premier

• 

  Dr. the Hon. Vince Henderson

  Commonwealth of Dominica
  Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Business, Trade and Energy

• 

  Christiaan Gischler

  Inter-American Development Bank
  Lead Energy Specialist

• 

  Neha Mukhi

  The World Bank
  Senior Energy and Climate Change Specialist

• 

  Migara Jayawardena

  AMALA Clean Energy Advisors
  Founder and Managing Director Moderator
  

Networking Break

Marine Energy: Opportunity, Economics & Deployment Reality

Can offshore wind, nearshore FPV, and other marine technologies compete on cost and deliverability in Caribbean systems?

• Where can marine and offshore technologies realistically fit into Caribbean plans over the next decade?
• What are the advantages of nearshore FPV in the Caribbean?  What are the technology choices islands should evaluate for nearshore FPV?
• How can seawater air-conditioning (SWAC) address rising energy use from cooling?
• How do the economics compare with solar, storage, and grid upgrades already underway?
• Are ports, permitting, and technical capacity ready — and what risks remain underestimated?
• Can single-island projects move forward, or does marine energy only work at regional scale?

• 

  L. Nigel Burgess

  Regulatory Authority of Bermuda
  Head of Regulation

• 

  Jonathan Coony

  World Bank Group
  Senior Climate Finance Specialist

• 

  Nicholas Turpin-Invernon

  The Yield Ventures
  Managing Director - Offshore Wind

• 

  Francisco G. Vozza

  BRIZO by Fred. Olsen 1848
  Business Development Director, Floating Solar

• 

  Kyle Farnum

  Delegation of the European Union to Barbados, the Eastern Caribbean States and the OECS, covering relations with the EU’s Caribbean Overseas Countries and Territories
  Programme Manager, Energy Moderator
  

Driving Renewable Energy Investment into Caribbean Industry, Productive Sectors and Critical Infrastructure

How can renewable energy investment strengthen Caribbean productive sectors across scale and sector? How can it support infrastructure modernization and development? Looking at three projects across scale and sectors, we investigate:

• Where is the strongest opportunity across productive sectors in the region?
• Where are energy costs and reliability constraining productivity, competitiveness and operational efficiency?
• What financing, technical assistance and risk-sharing tools can help productive businesses invest?
• Can demand across businesses or value chains be aggregated into replicable, commercially viable models with tangible economic and energy benefits?

Case Study 1: Major Industrial Demand: From Diesel Dependency to Hybrid Power — Aurora Gold Mine’s C&I Renewables Model

Aurora Gold Mine is demonstrating how a remote, high-demand industrial operation can integrate solar, battery storage, energy management systems and firm generation into a resilient hybrid energy model. The case study examines how this approach reduces diesel intensity, strengthens energy resilience and supports reliable industrial operations, while offering practical lessons for the wider Caribbean on how renewable energy investment can become productive infrastructure and a commercially replicable business model.

Ragunauth Ramsaroop, Liaison Director, AGM Inc., Guyana

Case Study 2: Critical Infrastructure: Reducing Diesel with an Integrated Solar + Storage Microgrid 

A remote prison in Guyana is proving how resilient energy infrastructure can reduce costs and improve reliability in challenging environments. Through the deployment of a solar-plus-storage microgrid, the facility has significantly reduced its dependence on diesel fuel while maintaining the continuous power required for critical security operations. This case study highlights the growing role of integrated microgrids in delivering energy resilience, operational savings, and sustainability across critical facilities in the Caribbean region.

Mike Murray, Director – Microgrid Solutions, Generac Power Systems

Case Study 3: Smaller Productive Users: Renewable Energy Across the Fisheries Value Chain

What will it take to bring renewable energy into ice plants, cold storage, processing, aquaculture and other fisheries operations, and turn fragmented demand across smaller operators into viable investment opportunities?

Sherron Barker, Regional Project Coordinator, STAR-Fish, Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism

• 

  Ragunauth Ramsaroop

  AGM Inc.
  Liaison Director

• 

  Mike Murray

  Generac Power Systems
  Director - Microgrid Solutions

• 

  Sherron Barker

  Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism
  Regional Project Coordinator, STAR-Fish

• 

  Christina Becker-Birck

  Cadmus Group
  Vice President Moderator
  

Storage: The Operational Reality

• How much storage is needed and how should it scale alongside rising RE penetration?
• What are the most important considerations when assessing dispatch, ancillary systems and reserve capacity?
• What procurement and contract structures will enable deployment and cost recovery?
• Where are the operational  risks as storage becomes central to system reliability?

• 

  Lennox Elvy

  Generation Procurement Entity (GPE), Jamaica
  Director

• 

  Colin Escalante

  Ministry of Finance, Belize
  Project Engineer, Central Executing Unit

• 

  Anand Kalpoe

  Energy Authority of Suriname
  Managing Director

• 

  Ali Nouri

  Smart Energy Ltd.
  Founder and CEO

• 

  Rutu Dave

  The World Bank
  Senior Energy Specialist Moderator
  

CREF 2026 Take-Aways and Action Items for the Year Ahead

Networking Lunch