Sea water air conditioning (SWAC) technology has the potential to help the Caribbean to achieve national and regional goals of energy efficiency, and reduce reliance on fossil fuels. This view was put forward by Vice-President (Operations) at the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), Patricia McKenzie as she addressed the opening of a workshop on SWAC. Speaking to 37 stakeholders from The Bahamas, Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago and representatives of regional institutions, McKenzie said that SWAC is aligned with Sustainable Development Goal 7 - which focuses on providing access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all - and with CDB' commitment to promoting energy security in the Region. Patricia McKenzie, Vice-President (Operations) (right), speaks during the Sea Water Air Conditioning in the Caribbean Workshop, while (left to right) Frank Vanoy and Alvaro Atilano of the Latin American Development Bank, and Tessa Williams-Robertson, Head of CDB' Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Unit look on. “We see this conversation as being relevant and it has some important dimensions for establishing development opportunities. The discussions at this workshop could support the introduction of a technology which operates successfully in other regions. We see that this has the potential to help us achieve the goals of increased energy efficiency and renewable energy. It helps us to meet the energy sector and climate goals and it is well aligned to global policy," McKenzie said. The workshop, which was held in Barbados on March 6, 2017, followed a study tour to Canada at the end of 2016, in which stakeholders from the private and public sectors in Jamaica participated. Workshop attendees discussed the benefits of, and commercial and environmental requirements for, SWAC. Presenters also shared key steps that stakeholders must start to take now to successfully implement the technology, including conducting feasibility studies and designs, and extensive environmental and social impact studies. View the Workshop Agenda View presentations from the Workshop