The Netherlands is earmarking €150 million to support the transition to sustainable energy on the Caribbean islands of Curaçao, Aruba and Sint-Maarten.

Green growth minister Sophie Hermans announced the funding at the Caribbean Climate and Energy Conference in Willemstad, where delegates have met to discuss the impact of climate change in the Dutch Caribbean territories.

Albert Martis, head of the meteorological service and chairman of the Curacao climate platform, said: “The threat of climate change is not an abstract vision of the future on the islands, but the everyday reality. We need to take action now.”

The investment from the Dutch climate change fund SDE++ is designed to modernise the infrastructure of the energy network, such as the electricity grid, rather than subsidise wind farms and solar parks which are already commercially viable, Hermans said.

The government also wants to set out clear rules and boundaries, support entrepreneurs and local energy firms such as Aqualectra, and ensure there is enough expertise on the islands to make the transition to renewable energy a success.

“It’s about more than just building wind turbines,” she said. “We’re building a system for future generations.”

Almost half the islands’ energy is generated from renewable sources, but Martis said more funding was essential to keep up the momentum. “We can make very good plans, but they’re impossible without financing,” he said.