Page 7 - Annual Report 2022

Still in the disaster management realm, CARILEC continued to spearhead CARILEC /ANNUAL REPORT 2022

the development of an Emergency Response and Strategy Action Plan
(ERSAP), aimed at strengthening the capacity for emergency response

in the Caribbean’s energy sector (CARICOM Member States) through
improved cross-sectoral coordination and regional cooperation.

With an agenda which critically explored pertinent topics such as clean energy transition, grid modernization planning,
cybersecurity, and decarbonization; CAREC2022 provided attendees with emerging and tried and tested solutions to
energy sector challenges, from leading regional and international experts. The Secretariat’s vision for this event was
to create a learning and development, expertise sharing, and solutions-driven forum for energy sector professionals
to critically assess pertinent issues, and share best practices geared towards holistic and sustainable solutions. This
was certainly achieved!
In preparation for the 2022 Atlantic Hurricane Season, CARILEC initiated a specialized training program for a ‘reserve
corps’ of lineworkers to supplement the organization’s current post-disaster restoration service; the CARILEC Disaster
Assistance Program (CDAP). The training focused on technical aspects of post-disaster power line and electric
infrastructure restoration, as well as safety and security matters. This program also catered to contractors and
utility line workers in territories where the services of contractors are not available. This was initiated to increase
the capacities and skills of future lineworkers within the electric utilities. I am happy to report that this training was
delivered to 81 lineworkers, in nine (9) Caribbean Countries, impacting ten (10) CARILEC Member Utilities. It is the
Secretariat’s vision to further extend this program in 2023, so that other utilities can benefit from such critical training.
Still in the disaster management realm, CARILEC continued to spearhead the development of an Emergency Response
and Strategy Action Plan (ERSAP), aimed at strengthening the capacity for emergency response in the Caribbean’s
energy sector (CARICOM Member States) through improved cross-sectoral coordination and regional cooperation.
The development of this project was prompted by the urgent need to address the gaps and challenges faced by
national and regional energy sector stakeholders that hamper an efficient and coordinated approach to emergency
response. CARILEC is confident that the recommendations and guidelines generated from the ERSAP will serve as a
highly useful resource for its Member Utilities and other regional disaster management stakeholders, as we aim to
increase the effectiveness and efficiency of recovery and response operations.

Moreover, we are also quite pleased at the launch of the CARILEC Automated Utility Benchmarking Platform (CAUBP) in
2022. This platform has now enabled an annual benchmark analysis to be performed among electric utilities, so that
they can virtually assess and compare their performance. The Secretariat’s main goal in establishing this platform is
to overcome the challenges of data availability and quality, by providing comprehensive annual reports on Caribbean
electricity systems. This is a modern and reliable tool which will foster greater knowledge sharing within the CARILEC
membership. We are extremely grateful to the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) for its generous
funding of the ERSAP and invaluable support of the CAUBP through its Technical Assistance Program for Sustainable
Energy in the Caribbean (TAPSEC). CARILEC remains committed to continuing to strengthen our partnership with GIZ,
as we work together to build a more resilient regional energy sector.
Still on the energy solutions front, we are encouraged by the participation of over 60% of the utility membership
in providing data for the preparation of the 2022 Tariff Survey Reports, which were disseminated among the full
membership in June and December 2022. These reports are very beneficial to electric utilities, power producers, and
industry suppliers; as they provide essential details on customer tariffs, installed and RE capacities, and overall energy
demand and sales, to name a few.
While building the technical capacity of Caribbean utilities is very important; it is also essential that energy
sustainability, efficiency, and conservation be at the forefront of their agendas. Consequently, CARILEC embarked on

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