Cayman finance minister urges Caribbean shift to renewable energy at Trelawny conference

CORAL SPRING, Trelawny — Rolston Anglin, the Cayman Islands' Minister of Finance and Economic Development, is pressing Caribbean governments to break their reliance on imported fossil fuels and pivot to renewable sources like solar and wind, citing rising oil prices linked to the ongoing Middle East conflict.

Anglin, who also holds the Education and Training portfolio, delivered the message Tuesday at the opening ceremony of the Organization of Caribbean Utility Regulators (OOCUR) 2026 Conference, currently under way at the Ocean Coral Spring Resort in Trelawny.

"The opportunity in this sector is truly extraordinary. We have imported fuel for generations, and every time global commodity prices fluctuate, our people feel it in their pockets," Anglin said. "This dependence is a vulnerability we have accepted as permanent. It is not," he added.

He argued that the region is endowed with abundant renewable resources — sunlight, wind, and geothermal energy — that have yet to be developed on any meaningful scale.

"The energy transition is not simply an environmental imperative — it is an economic and national security one. The raw materials for transformation are here. What is required now is the regulatory architecture to unlock investment, protect consumers, ensure grid stability, and attract the partnerships needed to move from ambition to reality," Anglin said. "That is a leverage regulators hold, and it is consequential," he added.

Also addressing the gathering, Andrew Wheatley, Minister without Portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister with responsibility for Science, Technology and Special Projects, detailed steps Jamaica is taking to broaden its alternative energy footprint. Wheatley spoke on behalf of Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness.

"We have reduced import taxes on electric vehicles to encourage adoption of electric mobility. We are advancing renewable energy generation, with solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, supported by battery storage, emerging as one of the most effective pathways forward," Wheatley said.

"We have seen Jamaicans investing more in solar PV systems — not only for financial reasons, but also due to increased awareness of climate change," he added.

Wheatley echoed Anglin's concern that heavy dependence on imported fuel has saddled several Caribbean territories with some of the world's steepest electricity bills, straining household budgets and squeezing businesses. He also reiterated the familiar observation that the region, despite its small share of global carbon emissions, bears an outsized burden from climate change, most visibly through stronger hurricanes.

Running from April 27 to May 1, the conference is being held under the theme "Navigating Caribbean Regulatory Challenges: Opportunities, Innovations and Collaborations."

Anglin stressed that meeting regional energy targets will demand cross-border cooperation. "I am calling on my colleagues in government across every jurisdiction represented here to deepen engagement with regulatory bodies, to listen to their insights, and to provide them with the tools, mandate, and political support needed to do their work," he said.

He described OOCUR and similar bodies as useful forums for sharing expertise across borders and urged policymakers to make fuller use of them.

Anglin went on to suggest that several regional governments, including his own in the Cayman Islands, still fail to grasp the economic worth of well-funded, technically capable and independent regulators. In his view, starving these agencies of resources stunts national development and undercuts the Caribbean's ability to harness its renewable energy potential.