OECS Strengthens Clean Energy Drive Through International Solar Alliance Partnership

CASTRIES, St. Lucia – The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Commission announced on Monday it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the International Solar Alliance (ISA) to strengthen support for the member countries of the sub-region in advancing their sustainable energy goals.

ISA is an intergovernmental organisation working to accelerate the adoption of solar energy technologies, by providing policy support, capacity building, and technical assistance to 124 members across Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) as well as Asia and the Pacific (APAC) regions.

It said that the agreement was signed during the ISA seventh meeting last month in Chile under the theme “Harnessing Solar Power for Resilience, Growth, and Unity in the Region”.

The OECS was represented by Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

The meeting discussed advances in solar energy and identify opportunities to best leverage financing and partnerships to increase the uptake of solar energy.

The OECS Commission said the MoU acknowledges the critical role that clean energy plays in building resilience to climate change in the Eastern Caribbean, as well as the pivotal role indigenous energy can play in transforming the economies of Small Island Developing States (SIDS).

It said the partnership framework establishes several areas of cooperation, including supporting the promotion of solar energy, the OECS Sustainable Energy Framework, the OECS Sustainable Energy Greenprint, and the Caribbean NDC Finance Initiative.

It is also intend to jointly mobilising public and private finance in OECS member states for solar energy advancement and investments, including through blended finance models and climate finance instruments such as ISA’s Global Solar Facility.

The agreement also strengthens institutional capacities through the implementation of regional training programmes, technical assistance, and exchanges anchored in the Solar Technology Application Resource Centres (STAR–C) of ISA in OECS Member States, either existing or proposed, subject to mutual agreement.

“We must recognise that the continuing challenges, especially access to financing for the energy transition, remain a major challenge for SIDS,”  said Grenada’s Minister of Climate Resilience, the Environment, and Renewable Energy, Kerryne James, who is also the ISA Co-Chair for the LAC Regional Committee.

ISA’s Director-General, Ashish Khanna, said the organisation is honoured to partner with the OECS to establish a regional Centre of Excellence for solar energy.

“This initiative reflects our shared ambition to accelerate the Caribbean’s clean energy transition, essential to reducing the economic strain of diesel-based generation and creating future jobs. Building on the success of countries like India embodies the spirit of solidarity that unites nations of the Global South.

“The OECS Centre will strengthen local expertise, foster knowledge-sharing, and build the capacity needed to help Caribbean countries drive their own solar future. By advancing aggregated solar procurement through innovative digital tender platforms, it will drive efficiency, lower costs, and attract world-class solutions while mobilising significant private investment,” Khanna said.

OECS Director General, Dr.  Didacus Jules, welcomed the agreement as a transformational step for the region.

“This partnership with the International Solar Alliance represents more than an energy initiative. It is a strategic investment in the resilience, economic independence, and sustainability of our people.

“The OECS Decade of Action on Sustainable Energy (2025–2035) will be strengthened by this collaboration, ensuring that solar energy is not just an alternative, but a cornerstone of our development.”

The OECS said it welcomes the partnership with the ISA as it embarks on the OECS Decade of Action on Sustainable Energy 2025–2035.

“The collaboration with ISA is seen as a bold and strategic move that will enable, among other things, capacity development and appropriate technical and policy support for solar energy. The OECS looks forward to both the short- and long-term benefits of this partnership for an improved quality of life across the region by leveraging solar energy,” it added.