The WMO workshop on Hydrometeorological Services for the Energy Sector and the Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystem Nexus for Spanish-speaking countries in Central and South America in November, marked an important milestone for the region.
The event was organized under the ENANDES (Enhancing Adaptive Capacity of Andean Communities through Climate Services) project as a regional platform to consolidate technical dialogue for continued collaboration and strengthening of national and regional capacities for climate services targeting the energy and nexus sectors. It aimed to support National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs), governments and public institutions responsible for energy planning and management. The workshop's approach - leveraging WMO projects, where relevant to project activities and Members' needs, to support long-term technical and strategic planning for regional Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystem Nexus and energy services - can be adapted and replicated in other regions.
The workshop in Asunción, Paraguay, from 24 to 28 November, highlighted the importance of advancing weather, water and climate services for the energy and nexus sectors, and the need to strengthen the capacities of NMHSs to develop more tailored products to support the region's climate-resilient energy transition. The speakers also highlighted Latin America's global leadership in renewable energy and the importance of enhancing climate-resilient energy planning. The first day offered opportunities for knowledge exchanges and presentations by the participating countries and regional partners. Delegations shared national experiences, best practices, ongoing and planned initiatives, including work under projects, such as ENANDES and Climate Risk and Early Warning Systems (CREWS)-Cuba , and other regional and national activities. They also discussed gaps and institutional needs. These exchanges laid the groundwork for identifying opportunities, strengthening collaboration and learning from the achievements and challenges of others in the region. The second day focused on in-depth group discussions to develop a regional vision for energy and nexus services and to outline the key elements of a road map for future activities. Building on the presentations and exchanges from the previous day, interactive discussions and structured participatory methods, such as brainstorming, prioritization exercises and future back-casting, permitted participants to identify regional priorities and contribute to the conceptualization of a Climate Services Toolkit (CST) for energy services and nexus. Development of this toolkit is envisaged as one of the next activities under ENANDES and ENANDES+ projects, aligned with the Global Framework for Climate Services (GFCS) , and building on other WMO initiatives.
Days three and four were dedicated to practical sessions and hands-on work with tools and demonstration projects developed under and beyond the ENANDES project. Participants were trained on how to apply open-source codes for applications in solar radiation potential estimation using satellite and other sources of data, modelling evaporation in water reservoirs with floating solar technologies, and high-resolution wind and solar renewable resource atlases. These exercises provided countries with practical experience that will support the next phase of technical implementation within the ENANDES and ENANDES+ project. The event brought together participants from NMHSs, ministries of energy, academia, regional institutions and the private sector. Experts from Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay and contributors from the Copernicus Energy Hub and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) joined the session. The energy sector was represented by the Ministry of Energy of Chile and ITAIPU Binacional, operator of the world's largest hydropower plant, while the academic sector contributed through the Universidad de San Portales in Chile and Universidad de la República in Uruguay. Regional organizations, including CIIFEN (International Centre for Research on the El Niño Phenomenon), CRC-SAS (Regional Climate Centre for Southern South America) and INPE (International Centre for Research on the El Niño Phenomenon), added further perspectives through their ongoing regional programmes and specialized knowledge. The event was part of the ENANDES and ENANDES+ projects, WMO-led initiatives funded by the Adaptation Fund and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation that seek to enhance adaptive capacity and resilience to climate variability and change in the Andean region.
