On February 20-21, CLDP implemented a two-day workshop for approximately 20 government officials in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Honduras’s newly-appointed Minister of Energy, Mr. Roberto Ordoñez, delivered opening remarks along with U.S. Embassy chargé d'affaires Brian Nichols, and other participants included representatives of Honduras’s Electrical Energy Regulatory Commission (CREE) and the national utility company (ENEE). CLDP, along with partners from the World Bank, provided background on the different legal and regulatory frameworks currently being explored internationally for microgrids. The discussion built a foundation for CREE and the Ministry of Energy to develop an inclusive energy policy, and provided various legal and regulatory options to consider as the government begins to develop its energy policy with regard to microgrids.

Following the workshop, on February 22, CLDP organized a one-day roundtable on microgrid energy for representatives of the private sector in Honduras. This roundtable focused on different microgrid structures and how microgrids can bolster the existing national grid without removing anchor ratepayers from the system. Participants discussed the needs of the private sector related to energy, the resiliency of the national grid, and the potential market for microgrids.

Finally, on February 23, CLDP hosted a similar roundtable discussion for agricultural cooperatives, who represent potentially some of the primary beneficiaries of microgrids in Honduras, as well as the World Bank, CREE, and other interested entities. The roundtable included a discussion on the energy needs of agricultural cooperatives and their current access to energy and energy costs, and explored legal, regulatory, financial, and infrastructure roadblocks to cooperatives developing microgrids.

Consensus built during this week’s workshop and roundtable discussions will help inform CLDP’s work plan and shape the course of its two-year microgrid program, which seeks to accelerate economic growth in Honduras through increased access to reliable and affordable power.