ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates, CMC – Antigua and Barbuda’s Energy Minister, Melford Nicholas, has been elected as Vice President of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) representing Latin America and the Caribbean.
His election took place at the 16th session of the IRENA Assembly Bureau that ended here on Monday with Nicholas already holding talks with IRENA Director General, Francesco La Camera, on Antigua and Barbuda’s priorities and practical pathways for accelerating implementation across Small Island Developing States (SIDS), including investment mobilization and partnership delivery.
Nicholas had told the two-day Assembly that Antigua and Barbuda’s key priorities for a resilient and affordable renewable energy transition include reducing vulnerability to volatile fossil-fuel imports, noting that fuel and related costs account for an estimated 67 per cent of utility earnings.
He said accelerating the deployment of solar and wind, supported by phased and hybrid approaches that enable a just transition and manage system risks, as well as strengthening and climate-proofing the grid and energy infrastructure against hurricanes and other climate impacts, were other priorities.
The Assembly was overshadowed by the decision of the United States to withdraw from IRENA and 65 other international organisations, many of them UN-affiliated bodies, and Nicholas emphasised the need for reinforcing regional cooperation through institutions such as the Barbados-based Caribbean Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (CCREEE) to support pooled procurement, training, and financing.
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