19th December 2022
LUCELEC hosted two workshops with stakeholders on the decarbonisation of transportation in St Lucia
By LUCELEC
The world is gradually undergoing an energy transition as the financial and environmental cost of fossil fuels becomes increasingly higher than other energy sources.
One of the areas Saint Lucia is pursuing to solve this energy challenge and reduce carbon emissions from the transportation sector is the transition to electric-powered vehicles or EV’s.
St. Lucia Electricity Service Limited (LUCELEC) recently hosted two workshops with various stakeholders on the decarbonisation of transportation in Saint Lucia.
The sessions facilitated discussions among policymakers, regulators and the business community to brainstorm and identify opportunities to collaborate in moving the country’s efforts at transitioning to electric vehicles forward.
Jason Clairmonte is the Director of the JQ Charles Group of Companies. He says the time is now for this discussion.
“We’re at the point where we are in the middle of a transition from internal combustion engines to EVs, this is happening worldwide, but we don’t largely understand this in developing countries because it’s not yet affecting us, really. This is the forum that starts with the stakeholders that are most likely to influence the discussion, and that is why we have to be on the same page and educated about it. This is a process, and this is the start of that process, and I’m happy to say that I think it is a very successful beginning.”
The first workshop sought to create a shared understanding of trends in the EV market and what is driving them, such as decarbonisation, energy prices, critical mineral availability and the used car markets.
The second deliberated on the most probable future, understanding the challenges and opportunities for each stakeholder; sharing an illustrative transportation decarbonisation strategy; identifying pre-competitive opportunities and how they benefit the ecosystem.
LUCELEC Managing Director Trevor Louisy says it also prioritized opportunities and next steps for action.
“There is energy around continuing this conversation, continuing to share information, and exploring opportunities for better collaboration and collective action. LUCELEC looks forward to playing a more proactive role in accelerating this transition, not only by supporting this exchange of information and ideas that we’ve agreed needs to continue but also by seeking to transition our fleet of vehicles within the shortest possible time. We are committed also to expanding the EV charging infrastructure and also assisting with public awareness around the promise of EVs to debunk the myths around the suitability of EVs for our terrain.”
In keeping with its 2035 Strategy, LUCELEC will develop further plans to increase awareness of the landscape, mitigate challenges, and actively pursue opportunities with other stakeholders in the EV transportation business.
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