Dominica’s Vince Henderson urges SIDS to build resilient energy systems at ISA Assembly in India 

India: Minister for Energy and Environment of Dominica, Vince Henderson, has called on Small Island Developing States (SIDS) to prioritize resilience in for future renewable energy systems while warning that the same vulnerabilities which makes the Caribbean beautiful also makes it more exposed to climate threats.

While speaking at the SIDS platform during the International Solar Alliance Assembly 2025 earlier today, Henderson said that small states continue to face major barriers in energy procurement and infrastructure development due to the size and investment risk.

He noted that no company wanted to drill a single geothermal well in Dominica due to limited scale and warned that solar expansion could face the same challenge if small nations negotiate in isolation.

According to Minister Vince Henderson, pooled procurement across SIDS can help guarantee supply and will also improve bargaining power while reducing development delays. Henderson emphasised that stronger collaboration is essential not only for affordability but for system resilience as individual small grids remain highly vulnerable to shocks.

He said the focus must now shift from simply accessing renewable technologies to building resilient energy systems capable of withstanding extreme weather events. “The priority for SIDS has to be a system designed to survive disruption,” he stressed, calling for joint frameworks that support both energy security and climate adaptation.

He made a strong plea to the world that they need to consider how they build a system to be resilient, especially in the Caribbean region as all the countries are more prone to natural disasters, which makes it highly important for them to build resilient infrastructure from homes, schools to government buildings.

Notably, the 8^th annual International Solar Alliance is ongoing in New Delhi, India from October 27 to 30, 2025. The event undertakes several initiatives to meet its objectives with a focus on analytics, capacity building and programmatic support.