Wheatley urges Caribbean regulators to fast-track energy transition at OOCUR conference in Trelawny

WESTERN BUREAU: Andrew Wheatley, minister without portfolio with responsibility for science, technology, and special projects, has cautioned that the push toward cleaner energy and digital modernisation across the Caribbean can no longer be treated as a long-range goal, urging regional regulators to plan further ahead and work more closely together.

Speaking on Tuesday in Trelawny on behalf of Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness, Wheatley delivered the opening address at the 20th annual conference of the Organisation of Caribbean Utility Regulators (OOCUR). He argued that utility regulation should now anchor wider national-development planning across the region.

"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 pointed to a stack of pressures weighing on Caribbean economies, among them steep electricity bills, heavy reliance on imported fossil fuels, exposure to climate shocks, and the fast-changing telecommunications landscape.

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.

Turning to Jamaica's regulatory landscape, Wheatley credited the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) with developing into one of the strongest oversight agencies in the region.

"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.

The minister also flagged a rise in solar photovoltaic installations after Hurricane Melissa, calling it a sign that households are responding to both climate risk and the need for sturdier energy systems.

"Climate change, … we feel it most," he said, observing that the Caribbean produces only a small share of global emissions yet absorbs much of the damage from severe weather.

Wheatley said regulators must move in step with developments such as artificial intelligence, 5G networks, and smart infrastructure, cautioning that policy made on the back foot would prove costly.

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

'STRUCTURED READINESS'

He called for the use of regulatory sandboxes and deeper technical expertise so that innovation can be tested without putting consumers at risk.

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

The gathering, convened under the theme 'Navigating Caribbean Regulatory Challenges: Opportunities, Innovations and Collaborations,' marks 20 years since OOCUR was established in Jamaica in 2002.

Wheatley further underscored the need for storm-hardened infrastructure and financing arrangements, citing the growing intensity of hurricane seasons.

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

In formally opening the conference, the minister urged delegates to act with conviction.

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