2nd CPLP Energy and Climate Seminar brought together governments and financiers in Cape Verde

On 30th October 2024, the 2nd CPLP Energy and Climate Seminar brought together governments and financiers to debate climate finance and the energy transition in CPLP member states. The event, which took place at the Cape Verde Government Palace in Praia, was promoted by the Government of São Tomé and Príncipe, which holds the Presidency-in-Office of the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP), together with the Energy Thematic Committee of the CPLP Consultative Observers, coordinated by ALER and the Association of Energy Regulators of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (RELOP).

At the opening session, Mayra Pereira, President of ALER, called for the presence and voice of CPLP countries in discussions on climate and sustainability. “It is essential that we present ourselves in a cohesive and informed manner, highlighting our particularities, challenges and achievements, ready to contribute with proposals that reflect the realities of our communities,” she pointed. For Mayra Pereira, “climate challenges require not only awareness but also adequate funding to implement effective solutions”. In this sense, the President of ALER believes that it is in identifying sources of funding to support innovative projects in renewable energies and sustainability that the union of the CPLP countries is fundamental.

Artur Trindade, Executive Secretary of RELOP, also believes that “due to the very relevant experiences in the different energy sectors”, the CPLP region benefits from cooperation in energy and climate. In his view, the energy transition needs political and regulatory initiative, the involvement of civil society, and funding with strategic objectives. “We can't change the energy paradigm we have today without looking at the financing aspect,” said Artur Trindade. “If there is an exchange of knowledge, experiences, and some coordination, we can be stronger in negotiation, debate, and dialogue” he added.

Aurélio Martins, São Tomé and Príncipe's Ambassador to Cape Verde, spoke about the weight that COP 29 will have in defining a New Collective Quantified Target for climate finance. “The expectation that the target will channel more support to our countries brings renewed hope for efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change,” said the Ambassador. Reiterating the commitment of the São Toméan presidency to an inclusive, fair and effective energy transition, Aurélio Martins also assured that the presidency will continue to work so that joint efforts result in concrete solutions.

The seminar was opened by Alexandre Monteiro, Cape Verde's Minister of Industry, Trade and Energy, who listed the country's progress in the area of energy and climate change. The Minister highlighted that international cooperation, both multilateral and bilateral, and partnerships with private investors have been decisive in implementing the energy plan. “In the Lusophone community, we highlight the partnership with Portugal on converting debt into climate and environmental financing. As part of this partnership, the tender for the repowering of the Palmarejo solar park was launched this week. The project aims to increase the solar power station's current installed capacity from 4.4 MW to 10 MW”.

At the 2nd CPLP Energy and Climate Seminar, questions were raised about underfunding for the energy transition in developing countries and the high cost of capital; the progress made at COP28 and the road ahead to COP30; the importance of the regulatory framework, training, and qualification of professionals and the discussion of conditions for attracting and mobilizing investment for energy transition projects. This was followed by a debate on the opportunities and challenges of climate funds and the presentation of successful financing cases, namely the example of the Cape Verde Stock Exchange issuing green certificates, Brazil's National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES) with energy auctions, and the credit line with a guarantee fund from the Mozambique Energy Fund (FUNAE). Finally, the strategies of Cape Verde, Mozambique, and Angola in mobilizing climate finance to accelerate the energy transition were shared, and the will to continue sharing information and having a coordinated approach was evident.

The event was attended by a large number of international participants, with representatives from the various CPLP member states and different ministries taking part in different panels. Including: Leandro Albuquerque, from Brazil's Ministry of Mines and Energy; Paula Panguene, from Mozambique's Ministry of Land and Environment; Carlos Monteiro, from Cape Verde's Ministry of Industry, Trade and Energy; Damião Namuera, from Mozambique's Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy; Gabriel Maquengo, from São Tomé and Príncipe's Ministry of Infrastructure and Natural Resources; Marco Rebelo, from Portugal's Environmental Fund; Alexandre Rodrigues, from Cape Verde's Ministry of Agriculture and Environment; Gilson Pina, from Cape Verde's Ministry of Finance; and Cecília Silva Bernardo, from Angola's Ministry of the Environment.

This second seminar had the support of the GET.transform program (funded by the European Union and German Cooperation) and Cape Verde's Multisectoral Economic Regulation Agency (ARME); and was sponsored by the National Oil, Gas and Biofuels Agency (ANPG), African Legal Support Facility (ALSF), Miranda Alliance, Sonagás Energias Renováveis and APP - Águas de Ponta Preta.

This is the second in a series of CPLP Energy and Climate Seminars, which aims to encourage the sharing of experiences and the exchange of good practices between CPLP countries in the field of energy transition; and to promote the public-private complementarity of financial resources in sustainable energy projects.

The third seminar, to be held on 4th November 2024, will take place at the UFRJ Institute of Economics in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) and will focus mainly on advances in the regulation of national carbon markets. There will be an outlook of COP29 and COP30; a round table on the regulation of carbon markets in CPLP countries; and carbon credit financing mechanisms and case studies in the energy sector in Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Mozambique and Portugal will be presented.

At the fourth and final seminar in this series, to be held in March 2025 in São Tomé and Príncipe, the aim is to launch the “Lusophone Energy Transition Roadmap for COP30”, which will compile the energy transition and climate finance strategies of each CPLP country and identify points of cooperation between them.

The CPLP Energy and Climate Seminar Series has the institutional support of the CPLP, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Natural Resources of São Tomé and Príncipe, the Ministry of Energy and Water of Angola, the Ministry of Mines and Energy of Brazil, the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Energy of Cape Verde, the Ministry of Energy of Guinea-Bissau, the Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy of Mozambique and the Ministry of Environment and Energy of Portugal.

Click here to see the photos and here to rewatch the streaming of the seminar.