WASHINGTON, DC – A U.S. government delegation, including officials from the U.S. 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, 2009, in Montego Bay, Jamaica.
The U.S. 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 U.S. delegation will highlight President Obama’s Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas (ECPA), U.S.-Brazil Biofuels Cooperation in Jamaica, and the availability of U.S. government financing for private sector renewable energy development. In addition to the conference, the U.S. delegation will meet with Caribbean energy officials, senior staff of the Organization of American States, Inter-American Development Bank, World Bank, and other international donors to discuss opportunities for deeper collaboration under the ECPA.
The U.S. State Department, the Government of Brazil, and Organization 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 programs, 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 cooperation on renewable energy, energy efficiency, energy poverty, cleaner fossil fuels, and infrastructure.
