M. Rafael Cabanillas

Rafael Yari Cabanillas Gonzalez is a Project Manager and Energy Access Consultant with over ten years of international experience managing rural infrastructure and basic services across complex, remote environments globally. Currently, he leads major rural electrification and multi-utility programs across Latin America and the Caribbean.
At Trama TecnoAmbiental, Rafael manages key energy transition initiatives with an expanding portfolio covering multi-utility solutions. In Haiti, he serves as Project Director for the construction of the Jacmel solarphotovoltaic plant while continuing to oversee TTA’s broader portfolio, including technical coordination for the PHARES programme’s rural mini-grid rollout. Expanding his regional leadership to South America, Rafael supports in the management of the BioSWEET initiative in Suriname, an integrated basic-services program deploying 16 hybrid mini-grids alongside potable water treatment and distribution networks, telecommunications infrastructure, and productive-use bioeconomy hubs.
In addition to managing large-scale infrastructure, Rafael leads institutional Health, Safety, and Security oversight for international field missions, establishing risk assessment frameworks and operational protocols for teams working in high-risk zones.
Before focusing on utility-scale rural mini-grids, Rafael spent years managing logistics and infrastructure in social development and humanitarian settings.