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covers a fraction of the total cost for repairs, rehabilitation to climate change will present frightening new challenges
and reconstruction of the damaged electricity infrastructure. for physical grid security and reliability in the Caribbean. The
CARILEC attributes the tremendous success of its intergenerational character of energy planning decisions;
restoration missions to the excellent collaborative efforts the long life span of energy infrastructure, 15−40 years
between the secretariat and Members; and the willingness for power plants and 40−75 years for transmission lines;
and readiness of Members to respond to the need. and the expected rise in energy demand, necessitate an
understanding of the potential vulnerabilities of the power

table 1 showing a list of the CARILEC member utilities that received joint manpower assistance from CARILEC 2003-2014.
Source: CARILEC

Disaster management has increasingly been recognized sector to climate-related disasters. Existing and new
as a key strategic issue for the Caribbean electric utility power infrastructure and future planning have to consider
industry. CARILEC Member utilities continue to equip impacts on design, construction, and operation.
themselves and improve their disaster restoration
capabilities through lessons learned and best practices CARILEC will continue to explore opportunities to: assess
so as to respond more efficiently to the infrastructural the vulnerability of critical Member electric utilities assets
damages caused by natural disasters. to natural disasters and specific climate hazards; formulate
and implement strategies and programmes toward
ConCLUSIon disaster risks reduction in the regional electricity industry;
The impacts of natural disasters to the Caribbean strengthen the framework for institutional collaboration;
electric utility industry, to date, have served to entrench and enhance its disaster response and restoration
the recognition that, notwithstanding the efforts by programme.
CARILEC there is a need for additional national, regional
and international interventions to enhance the regional
electricity industry’s efforts toward disaster risks reduction. Andrew Thorington,
Project Manager –Technical Services
CARILEC.
IIncreased frequency and intensity of natural disasters due September 2015.

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