BY SHARON AUSTIN | MAR 16, 2023
Energy matters on their minds: Minister of Energy and Business, Senator Lisa Cummins, with (from left) Permanent Secretary – Energy, Andrew Gittens; Ambassador of Finland to the Caribbean, Pertti Ikonen, and Finland’s Honorary Consul in Barbados, Algernon Leacock, after the courtesy call. (GP)
Opportunities for Barbados and Finland to deepen their cooperation in the energy sector were discussed recently, when Minister of Energy and Business, Senator Lisa Cummins, met with Ambassador of Finland to the Caribbean, Pertti Ikonen.
During the courtesy call, which was held at the Ministry of Energy and Business, Warrens Office Complex, the officials identified solar photovoltaic, technology transfer, and business-to-business collaboration in the energy sector, in particular, as key areas. They also spoke about Finland’s 2030 Energy Transition Goals.
Senator Cummins welcomed the opportunity to collaborate more closely with Finland and the wider Nordic region. She noted that Finland’s energy supplies had been directly impacted by the war in Ukraine, and suggested that there was an opportunity for the Caribbean to consider cooperation in shipments of energy products, in the same way the Nordic region had done.
“Barbados is especially interested in the approaches used for consolidated procurement strategies for liquefied natural gas across the Nordic region, which increase volumes, consolidate shipments, and in turn, lower costs to consumers ultimately.
“I believe that the Caribbean, with even smaller volumes and populations, has to use this time to look at coordinated mechanisms for energy product procurement to drive the costs down,” Senator Cummins opined.
Ambassador Ikonen pledged Finland’s commitment to collaborate with Barbados in the areas identified. Those attending the meeting included Permanent Secretary – Energy, Andrew Gittens, and Finland’s Honorary Consul in Barbados, Algernon Leacock.
