NEWS

10/4/2011 - CREF 2011 - By the Numbers

At just over a week from CREF we have all the components of a truly significant event for the region, and for the future of energy security in the Caribbean. The numbers speak volumes. To date we have confirmed over 250 delegates, and counting, from over 30 countries. 14 Governments, and counting, from across the region will attend. Plus: two Prime Ministers, 60+ world-class speakers, 50+ registrations in the past five days. We look forward to seeing you in Barbados next week.

9/22/2011 - Ambassador Carlos Pascual, U.S. State Department's Newly Appointed Special Envoy for International Energy Affairs, Confirmed for CREF

Ambassador Carlos Pascual, the U.S. State Department's Special Envoy and Coordinator for International Energy Affairs, has confirmed that he will speak at CREF 2011. Ambassador Pascual was appointed to this role in May of this year by United States Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Ambassador Pascual will advise the Secretary on implementing international energy policy. One of his first tasks will be to design and establish a new Bureau for Energy Resources that will elevate and unify energy diplomacy within the Department of State.

9/9/2011 - Emera and WRB, owners of regional utilities, roll out top executives for participation in CREF 2011

Emera's Wayne Crawley, the President & CEO of Caribbean operations, and Bob Blanchard, the President & Chairman of WRB Enterprises, have confirmed they will participate at CREF 2011. Between them Emera and WRB either own outright or have substantial interests in the utilities in Barbados, St. Lucia, the Bahamas, Grenada and the Turks & Caicos Islands. Both will feature on a stellar utility panel discussion on day one of CREF 2011 which also includes Peter Williams, the head of the Barbados utility, Will Wynn, the former Chairman of Austin Energy, Graeme Boyce, the CEO of Solamon Energy, and Amiraly Valibhay, a senior executive from EDF's head office in France.

9/4/2011 - Emera announces sponsorship of CREF; CEO for Caribbean Region & New Head of Sustainability to Participate as Speakers

The organizers of the Caribbean Renewable Energy Forum are delighted to announce that Emera will participate as a senior sponsor of CREF 2011. Emera has moved aggressively over recent years to establish a significant footprint in the Caribbean. Today, Emera has majority interests in Light & Power Holdings in Barbados and the Grand Bahama Power Company in the Bahamas. Emera also owns 19% of Lucelec, St. Lucia's power utility company.

Emera will also participate on the CREF agenda. Wayne Crawley, President & CEO of Emera's Caribbean operations will participate on the utility panel discussion on Day One, while Melanie Nadeau, who recently joined Emera as senior manager responsible for sustainability, will participate in the Ocean Energy panel on Day Two. Ms. Nadeau built the marine energy team at CANMET Energy and chaired the launch of the IEC TC114 standards initiative. Her move is regarded by many as an indication of Emera's long-term view on the potential for marine energy.

Emera Inc. is a growing energy and services company with $6.3 billion in assets and revenues of $1.6 billion.  The company invests in electricity generation, transmission and distribution as well as gas transmission and utility energy services.  Emera’s strategy is focused on the transformation of the electricity industry to cleaner generation and the delivery of that clean energy to market.

9/4/2011 - Hon. Kenneth McClintock, Secretary of State of Puerto Rico Confirms Participation in CREF 2011

The Hon. Kenneth McClintock, Secretary of State of Puerto Rico, has confirmed that he will participate in CREF 2011. A strong proponent of the opportunities afforded by regional energy interconnection, news of the Secretary's participation in CREF follows the recent publication of a report from Siemens AG which asserts that submarine interconnection between Puerto Rico, the USVI and Nevis is - from a technical standpoint - feasible. How any such pipeline would be financed is yet to be determined. Last year officials at the USVI Water & Power Authority estimated that the Puerto Rico-USVI submarine cable link would cost as much as US$90m.

8/16/2011 - New Jamaican Minister of Energy, Hon. Clive Mullings, Confirmed to Speak at CREF 2011

Hon. Clive Mullings, Jamaica's Minister of Energy & Mining, has confirmed that he will participate as a speaker at CREF 2011.

Against a backdrop of rising oil prices, Minister Mullings has made clear his intent to diversify Jamaica's energy mix. "This is the time now for us to utilise the challenge as an opportunity to grow and to expand our renewables programme and that is what is going to happen," stated Mullings. "We have a timeline that by 2010, at least 10 per cent will be renewables, and the rest will be fossil fuels. That timeline can very well be shortened by innovation and how quickly we can drive the process for renewables."

He is equally clear that the private sector must drive the process. "It is innovation that is going to solve the energy crisis we face; we can no longer be a nation of samplers and ideas," said the minister. "Government has a responsibility to lead that but I place greater trust and hope in entrepreneurs and investors to lead it and drive it."

"The end game cannot be fossil fuels or gas; the end game for us must be renewables."

8/6/2011 - Senator Hon. Darcy Boyce and Hon. Walter H. Roban Confirmed as Speakers for CREF 2011

CREF organizers are excited to announce that Senator Hon. Darcy Boyce of the Government of Barbados and Hon. Walter H. Roban, JP, MP, of the Government of Bermuda have confirmed they will participate in a policy head-to-head debate and discussion at CREF 2011. Bermuda and Barbados are at the vanguard of policy initiatives in the Caribbean to promote renewables. Bermuda published its long-awaited White Paper in July, while Barbados is in the thick of legislative reform. In a highly interactive session, this discussion will analyse the two approaches, assess their relative feasibility, and determine which measures might usefully be adopted by other countries in the region. The discussion will also provide developers with a clear understanding of the implications for future renewables development on the two jurisdictions.

7/29/2011 - High Profile Public and Private Sector Leaders confirmed to Participate in
“Barbados Investment Workshop” at CREF 2011

A high-level panel of leaders drawn from Barbados' public and private sectors will participate in a workshop at CREF 2011 designed to highlight new opportunities for investment in the Barbadian renewables and energy efficiency sectors.

The panel comprises James Husbands, Managing Director, Solar Dynamics; Andy Armstrong, President, Barbados Chamber of Commerce; Dr. Leonard Nurse, Chairman, Barbados National Oil Co.; Peter Williams, Managing Director, Barbados Light and Power; and Ralph "Bizzy" Williams, Chief Executive Officer, Williams Industries.

The workshop coincides with significant progress at a governmental level towards the creation of a policy environment in which renewables can flourish. Barbados Light & Power, whose CEO will participate in the workshop, is also firmly committed to diversifying its sources of energy production. Additionally, the multilaterals are firmly behind the push to diversify the country's energy mix. Perhaps most notably, the IDB has recently committed upwards of US$50 million to assist in the creation of the necessary environment for the implementation of renewable energy and energy efficiency initiatives.

For international developers, Barbados is clearly now positioned as an island with both ample renewable resources and the will to exploit them.

7/20/2011 - Prime Minister of Barbados Confirms Keynote Address at CREF 2011

The Hon. Freundel Stuart, Q.C., M.P., Prime Minister of Barbados, has confirmed that he will give the keynote address at the 2011 Caribbean Renewable Energy Forum (CREF 2011). The Prime Minister's participation reflects the ongoing commitment of the Barbadian Government to diversify the country's energy mix and its determination to put in place a policy environment which expedites the development of renewables at a national level.

6/28/2011 - Secretary Clinton Announces ECPA Event to Take Place on Margins of CREF 2011

During her June 22 visit to Jamaica, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton announced progress on existing programs and new initiatives between the United States and the Caribbean as part of the Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas (ECPA) and U.S.-Brazil Biofuels Cooperation.

One of several initiatives outlined, Secretary Clinton announced that the third Caribbean Sustainable Energy Dialogue will take place in Barbados in October 2011, on the margins of the Caribbean Renewable Energy Forum. The ECPA Caribbean Sustainable Energy Dialogue, supported by the ECPA Caribbean Initiative, brings together Caribbean energy officials and institutions -- including CARICOM, CARILEC, donor governments, multilateral institutions, and the private sector -- to accelerate clean energy deployment, provide legal and technical advice to governments considering new renewable energy and energy efficiency projects, and discuss possible regional solutions to Caribbean energy challenges.

6/15/2011 - VESTAS Confirms Backing of CREF 2011

The organizers of CREF are delighted to welcome back Vestas as a senior sponsor of CREF 2011. Adrian Katzew, Director, Mexico and the Caribbean, will also participate on the Investment Opportunities Panel on Day One and will present on the opportunities for utility-scale wind development across the islands based on installed capacity vs. wind potential vs. current energy price.

“Vestas is delighted to renew its sponsorship of CREF for 2011,” noted Adrian Katzew, Regional Director for Vestas. “We have a long-term commitment to the Caribbean and look forward to meeting the many stakeholders who will be attending this year's conference."

6/15/2011 - Head of Barbados Light & Power, Peter Williams, Confirms Speaking Role at CREF 2011

Peter Williams, Managing Director of Barbados Light & Power, has confirmed he will participate as a speaker at CREF 2010. As the head of one of the region’s most progressive utilities, Mr. Williams brings key perspective on the integration of renewables into the long-term business models of Caribbean power companies.

4/19/2011 - CREF Organizers Confirm Bridgetown, Barbados, as Venue for CREF 2011
New Energy Events, the organizers of the annual Caribbean Renewable Energy Forum (CREF), are pleased to announce that CREF 2011 will take place in Bridgetown, Barbados, from October 12-14.

Now in its third year, CREF is firmly established as the biggest and most influential gathering of Caribbean energy decision-makers and international providers of technology, expertise and capital.

CREF 2010 gathered over 300 participants from 37 countries. Against the backdrop of uncertainty in the Middle East and the spiraling price of oil, the organizers anticipate a particularly strong turn-out for CREF 2011. More than ever before, all stakeholders - from Caribbean governments and utilities, to international developers and investors - are incentivized to work through the road-block issues which have held back the uptake of renewables in the Caribbean. CREF's organizers look forward to working closely with these stakeholders to identify solutions, source projects, find financing and break ground across the region.

Many of the Caribbean's most engaged institutions, including the Organization of American States (OAS), Caricom, the IDB, and OPIC, have already confirmed that they will be working closely with CREF's organizers to ensure successful, meaningful, outcomes to this year's Forum. We look forward to working with them, and with our speakers and sponsors, to driving forward the adoption of renewables across the region.

The organizers invite leading market participants to get in touch to discuss opportunities for speaking and sponsorship.

Launch of Renewables Newsletter
The organizers of CREF are also proud to announce the publication of the first "CREF Review". The Review, which will be published biannually, will serve to inform the regional and international renewables community on developments and progress in the Caribbean. Market participants are invited to download the first edition of the CREF Review at www.caribbeanenergyforum.com.