Regional energy transition now urgent, says Wheatley

WESTERN BUREAU:

Andrew Wheatley, minister without portfolio with responsibility for science, technology, and special projects, has warned that the Caribbean’s energy transition and digital transformation has moved “from aspirational to urgent” and is calling on regional regulators to act with greater foresight and collaboration.

Delivering the opening remarks on behalf of Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness at the 20th annual conference of the Organisation of Caribbean Utility Regulators (OOCUR) in Trelawny on Tuesday, Wheatley said utility regulation must now sit at the centre of national- development policies.

“In 2016, the conversation was about the promise of renewable energy and the expansion of broadband connectivity. Today, those topics have evolved from aspirational to urgent. The energy transition is no longer a future ambition. It is a present necessity as essential as roads and water,” said the former energy minister.

He noted the mounting pressures facing Caribbean states, including high electricity costs, dependence on imported fossil fuels, climate vulnerability, and the rapid evolution of telecommunications.

BASIS OF SOLIDARITY

“Our Caribbean reality is unique and in many respects formidable … yet that shared reality is not a source of discouragement. It is the very basis of our solidarity,” he noted.

Pointing to Jamaica’s own regulatory framework, Wheatley highlighted the role of the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR), which he said has grown into one of the region’s most capable oversight bodies.

“In the first nine months of 2025, the OUR secured over US$13 million in restitution for Jamaican utility customers … . When regulation is done well, it is not an abstraction. It changes lives. It protects families,” he said.

Wheatley also pointed to increased investment in solar photovoltaic systems following Hurricane Melissa, describing it as evidence of both climate awareness and the urgency of energy resilience.

“Climate change, … we feel it most,” he said, noting that while the region contributes minimally to global emissions, it bears the brunt of extreme weather events.

Wheatley stressed that regulators must now keep pace with emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, 5G networks, and smart infrastructure, warning against reactive policymaking.

“The most consequential regulatory failures have been failures of anticipation, and Caribbean regulators cannot afford that lag,” said Wheatley.

‘STRUCTURED READINESS’

He urged the adoption of regulatory sandboxes and stronger technical capacity to manage innovation while safeguarding consumers.

“You must engage in emerging technologies, not from a posture of suspicion, but from one of informed, structured readiness,” Wheatley said.

The conference, which is being held under the theme ‘Navigating Caribbean Regulatory Challenges: Opportunities, Innovations and Collaborations,’ marks two decades of regional cooperation among utility regulators since the organisation’s founding in Jamaica in 2002.

Wheatley also emphasised the importance of climate-resilient infrastructure and financing frameworks, particularly in the wake of increasingly severe storms.

“Caribbean utilities must not only restore services after storms. They must be built to withstand them in the first place,” he said.

Declaring the conference officially open, Wheatley charged delegates to lead with clarity and courage.

“Let us regulate well. Let us innovate boldly. Let us collaborate as if our development depends on it because it does,” he said.

albert.ferguson@gleanerjm.com