CDB Launches CREGI-RES Initiative to Map Caribbean Renewable Energy Scaling
By Antonio Dey | HGP Nightly News|
BRIDGETOWN, BARBADOS — The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) has officially launched the Caribbean Regional Electricity Grid Interconnection and Renewable Energy Scaling Technical Assistance Project (CREGI-RES). The US$1.5 million blueprint is designed to assist Caribbean nations in modeling how vast renewable energy resources, shifting electricity demands, and cross-border grid interconnections can be merged into a unified regional energy roadmap.
A flagship initiative under the CDB’s Accelerated Sustainable Energy and Resilience Transition 2030 Framework (ASERT-2030), the project directly tackles the structural economic vulnerabilities crippling the region’s utilities. Many Caribbean countries remain overwhelmingly dependent on imported petroleum for primary power generation, exposing domestic consumers to volatile global fuel price shocks and exceptionally high electricity tariffs.
CREGI-RES aims to dismantle these cost barriers by evaluating submarine electricity interconnection corridors, grid stabilization mechanisms, and aggressive wind and geothermal integration strategies. Funded via the CDB’s Special Funds Resources alongside major financial contributions from the European Union’s Caribbean Investment Facility (EU-CIF), the Agence Française de Développement (AFD), and the Canadian Government, the tactical roadmap is scheduled for phased rollout through early 2028, with initial structural models set to unlock by late 2027.
CAF and Barbados Partner to Supercharge Private Sector Export Financing
By Antonio Dey
BRIDGETOWN, BARBADOS — In a major step toward structural economic transformation, CAF (Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean) teamed up with the Ministry of Finance of Barbados to host a high-level Private Sector Dialogue. The collaborative economic session focused extensively on channeling CAF’s diverse commercial financing instruments directly into Barbadian businesses to scale up domestic manufacturing, expand cross-border service trade, and accelerate the island’s export-led growth strategy.
The dialogic framework brought together local corporate executives, commercial banking heads, regulatory state agencies, and public finance officials. Barbados Minister of Finance, Ryan Straughn, asserted that the nation’s contemporary fiscal transformation requires private enterprise to assume an aggressive, front-row leadership posture in structural development.
“Barbados must continue to compete outward, earn more foreign exchange, and build robust opportunities that generate lasting wealth across the wider region,” Minister Straughn declared.
To back this Caribbean push, CAF is systematically deploying private sector capital across the regional grid, including a recent US$35 million corporate liquidity facility in Trinidad and Tobago dedicated to expanding small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This expands alongside a joint partnership with the CDB to manufacture custom financial instruments for regional firms. The corporate mobilization is fueled by a massive capital pool; in 2025 alone, CAF’s Vice Presidency for the Private Sector approved a historic US$10.3 billion in private operations—representing a staggering 55% of the institution’s total global approvals for the fiscal year.
Andy Burnham Wins Resounding Parliamentary Comeback, Setting Up Blockbuster UK Leadership Showdown
By Antonio Dey
MANCHESTER, UK — In a political earthquake that has thrown 10 Downing Street into immediate crisis, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has decisively recaptured a seat in the British Parliament following a resounding victory in the Makerfield by-election in northwest England. The triumph positions Burnham to launch a direct, high-stakes challenge against embattled British Prime Minister Keir Starmer for control of the Labour Party and the country’s premiership.
The extraordinary special election was triggered via the tactical resignation of a local Labour loyalist, deliberately opening a legislative route for Burnham—affectionately dubbed “The King of the North”—to re-enter the House of Commons. Under strict Labour Party rules, any prospective candidate vying for the top leadership position must maintain an active seat within the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP).
When the final ballots were tallied early Friday morning, the high-stakes gamble paid off comfortably. Burnham secured a commanding 55% of the popular vote, dealing a major blow to runner-up Robert Kenyon of the right-wing populist party Reform UK, who finished second with 35%.
The massive win arrives at a time of severe vulnerability for the central government, with Starmer’s domestic popularity collapsing rapidly since his initial 2024 general election victory. In a defiant post-election address to jubilant supporters, Burnham left zero doubt regarding his prime ministerial ambitions.
“This is the change moment,” Burnham declared, framing his victory as a turning point for forgotten communities. “Everyone knows that politics isn’t working… tonight could just be the turning point.”
Appearing on the BBC hours after the result, Prime Minister Starmer congratulated Burnham but issued an uncompromised warning to party rebels, confirming he will aggressively fight any internal leadership challenge. With Burnham now forced to stand down as Greater Manchester Mayor to assume his parliamentary bench, the stage is officially set for a highly volatile, defining struggle for the ideological soul and leadership of the British government.
