El Salvador and the Dominican Republic have signed an energy cooperation agreement to enhance their capabilities in hydrocarbons and geothermal energy. The agreement, finalized during the IX Latin America and Caribbean Energy Week, was signed by Daniel Álvarez, head of El Salvador’s Directorate General of Energy, Hydrocarbons, and Mines (DGEHM), and Joel Santos Echavarría, the Dominican Republic’s Minister of Energy and Mines.
Under this partnership, the Dominican Republic will assist El Salvador in conducting comprehensive studies on its hydrocarbon potential, aiming to create proposals for environmental permits and authorizations for exploration. The collaboration will also enable both nations to share information, technology, and best practices in natural resource exploration, particularly in hydrocarbon management.
Conversely, El Salvador, recognized for its geothermal expertise, will support the Dominican Republic in developing geothermal energy initiatives. This mutual knowledge exchange is expected to foster advancements in renewable energy resources.
The event, organized by the Latin American Energy Organization (Olade) in partnership with the Inter-American Development Bank, the World Bank, and the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF), gathered over 3,000 representatives from 27 countries. More than 30 activities took place over four days, attracting an average of 500 participants daily, marking it as the region’s largest and most influential energy event, according to Paraguay’s Ministry of Public Works and Communications (MOPC).
Olade’s Executive Secretary, Andrés Rebolledo, praised the active involvement of regional stakeholders, including private-sector associations, regulators, and academia. He also announced the establishment of a Regional Planning Council to drive energy integration in Latin America and outlined new regional targets for energy efficiency and nuclear energy collaboration.