Haiti Aims for Electrification Through Rigorous Planning

The Ministry of Public Works organized a national workshop on Thursday, October 29, to discuss plans for developing the electricity sector in Haiti. The event was led by Minister Joseph Almathe Pierre Louis and included representatives from various government departments such as Ministers Sandra Paulemon (Planning) and Valéry Fils-Aimé (Environment), along with technical partners.

Minister Pierre Louis emphasized that "Haiti will not recover through improvisation; it will recover through discipline, planning, and institutional rigor." He stressed the importance of electricity in fostering economic growth and social development across all 10 departments. The workshop outlined a comprehensive plan to increase access to electricity from its current level to 60% by 2032.

The strategy includes building six regional grids that will manage power generation, transmission, and distribution progressively. Additionally, the initiative aims to deploy mini-grids for remote areas and standalone solar systems for dispersed households. In the initial phase alone, about 50 mini-grids could serve nearly 100,000 homes, complemented by individual solar systems for an additional 227,000 households.

The roadmap also sets objectives to complete 250,000 new connections—of which 150,000 would be through decentralized solutions—and reduce technical and commercial losses below 35%. The plan envisions a reliable generation capacity of 200 megawatts for the metropolitan area and 80 megawatts for other regions. It also includes training 500 technicians to strengthen national expertise in the energy sector.

Investments estimated at between $5.7 billion and $5.9 billion are expected to fund these initiatives, with current projects like a solar power plant under construction in Caracol (Northeast) capable of generating 13.4 megawatts paired with battery storage systems. Another project involves the installation of a 4-megawatt solar power plant with storage at Monfleury site in Jacmel.

Pilot projects are also being prepared for Les Cayes and Fort-Liberté, each potentially reaching up to 20 megawatts of solar generation capacity complete with necessary infrastructure. The program further includes hybrid mini-grids in several locations such as Vallières, Mont-Organisé, Capotille, Tiburon, La Cahouane, Marfranc, Moron, Chambellan, Beaumont, and Dame-Marie.

Minister Pierre Louis concluded by stressing the importance of translating strategic directives into concrete achievements to improve living conditions sustainably. "Electrifying Haiti means unlocking its potential," he said, adding that generating energy supports national production while building infrastructure paves the way for prosperity.