Minister of Government Support Services, Hon. George Lightbourne, has returned to the islands after attending the Caribbean Renewable Energy Forum (CREF) in Miami, Florida and the Caribbean Water and Wastewater Conference in Nassau, Bahamas.
CREF, held 6th – 8th October 2014, is known as “the largest and longest establish Caribbean renewables event in the hemisphere” with the “ability to connect Caribbean energy stakeholders to international capital and technology”. The objective of CREF was to bring together key stakeholders in an effort to exchange ideas and to forge a way forward thus reducing the carbon footprint globally with the promotion and implementation of renewables.
Accompanying Minister Lightbourne were Permanent Secretary of Government Support Services, Ian Astwood, and Energy and Utilities Energy Analyst, Sparkle Prentice. While at this forum, Minister Lightbourne also liaised with Carbon War Room representatives, whom he, along with H.E. Governor Beckingham, had previously met at a Creating Climate Wealth event in the British Virgin Islands in February 2014.
The Caribbean Water and Wastewater Conference was held from the 5th and 10th October. Minister Lightbourne also attended a High Level Session of Caribbean Water Ministers, on the 9th – 10th under the theme ‘Caribbean Water Security – Risks and Opportunities’. This forum provided Ministers “with one of the few opportunities for policy discussions on water, wastewater, and waste management in the Caribbean…..more specifically that of Small Island Developing States, in particular within the context of climate change”.
Also attending technical workshops and presentations was Mr. Omowale Harvey, Water Engineer with TCIG Water Undertaking Department.
“It was an eventful week. It was very useful and refreshing to have collaborated with fellow regional Ministers and other stakeholder, particularly at this critical time when water security and affordability is of utmost importance to our people,” says Minister Lightbourne.
He further expressed his determination to “relentlessly pursue, in a collaborative effort between the Carbon War Room, TCIG and Fortis TCI, measures to reduce the cost of energy to consumers.”
