This morning, a delegation of energy ministers from Caribbean countries visited Red Eléctrica's Electricity Control Centre in the Balearic Islands, as well as the Santa Ponça substation and converter, the arrival point of the link between the Spanish mainland and the Balearic Islands. The visit was a chance for the ministers to learn about the interconnected electricity system of an archipelago, such as the Balearic Islands, which could be a benchmark for their islands.

The visit by the ministers of Barbados, the Dominican Republic, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Guyana, Grenada and Saint Lucia – alongside other senior officials from their governments – is part of the strategy of collaboration between the European Union and the Caribbean countries, within the framework of a work programme developed this week in Brussels with the EU institutions, and which was completed with the session that took place this Friday in Majorca.

The opportunity to learn first-hand about Red Eléctrica's operational model and the integration of renewables in the islands, and to access information about the electricity system of an archipelago in which the islands are interconnected with each other and with the mainland through underwater links piqued the interest of the various leaders, who see the Balearic system as an example to follow if they are to meet their objectives of promoting the energy transition of their islands and to increase renewables in their electricity systems. 

For Red Eléctrica, the working session was attended by the Director of Operation of the Non-Peninsular Territories of Red Eléctrica, Juan Bola; the Director of International Institutional Relations and Parliamentary Affairs, Pablo Nuño; the Head of International Institutional Relations, Jasón Besga; and the Balearic Islands delegate, Eduardo Maynau. 

Representatives of the European Commission's Directorate for Latin America and the Caribbean (DGINTPA) and the Delegation of the European Union to Barbados, the Eastern Caribbean States, the OECS and CARICOM/CARIFORUM also took part in the visit.