Regional Workshop on Energy Transformation in Central America

San Jose, Costa Rica

With a view to supporting the efforts of the countries of Latin America in undertaking the transformation of their energy sector, IRENA and the Ministry of Environment and Energy of Costa Rica co-organised a regional workshop to exchange lessons learned and best practices in the development and implementation of decarbonisation strategies driven by renewable energy, energy efficiency and electrification.

The Energy Strategy 2030 for the Countries of the Central American Integration System (SICA) presents a series of regional actions to guide sustainable development of the countries in the region. In addition, Costa Rica has developed a National Decarbonisation Plan 2018-2050 that stipulates a strategic action plan to enhance the decarbonisation of the Costa Rican economy, towards advancing bio-economy, green growth, inclusion and the improvement of the quality of life of citizens.

IRENA, serving as a centre of excellence for energy transformation and a network hub to foster action and knowledge sharing, can facilitate interaction among various national-level and regional-level stakeholders to identify challenges and potential solutions arising from the energy transformation, and the implementation of low carbon technologies for productive uses. For the transition to renewable sources and technologies to succeed, policies must be based on a more integrated assessment of the interactions between the evolving energy sector and the wider economy, towards a broader socio-economic system. Additionally, decarbonising the energy system requires swift and decisive policy action to stablish long-term energy planning strategies; a better coordination between energy and climate policies; creation of the right conditions for investments; aligning public policies with private sector initiatives, among other important aspects in the power, industry, buildings and transport sectors. In this context, IRENA leverages a range of knowledge products and analytical tools to provide assistance to countries in addressing the challenges of the energy transformation.