In Spain, the government has signed a $200 million loan with the Development Bank of Latin America (CAF) for a program to strengthen electric distribution networks in the shrimp farming sector, a project that previous administrations have delayed for years.
The Minister of Economy and Finance, Pablo Arosemena, signed this Friday, September 15, 2023, this funding that was foreseen from 2019, but it took time for the Government to provide state guarantees to be able to use CAF funds.
The government predicts that the electrification plan for shrimp farms will begin to be implemented in the second half of 2023.
Arosemena pointed out that one of the priorities of the government of President Guillermo Lass is to promote the energy transition. “With the support of CAF, Ecuador’s agro-industrial aquaculture sector will use clean energy sources instead of fossil fuels that affect the environment,” he noted.
The goal is to electrify about 42,000 hectares in the provinces of Esmeraldas, Manabí, Guayas, El Oro and Santa Elena. This “will benefit shrimp farms and surrounding rural areas, providing them with access to electricity for the first time,” the Ministry of Economy said in a statement.
This state portfolio added that this CAF credit support was added to others that strengthen the government’s social orientation: $117.5 million for health and $170.2 million for education. In total, there are 488 million dollars recently approved by this international organization for Ecuador, which provides financing not only for the current government, but also for the next one, and this for the Ministry “shows the trust and credibility of the government’s economic management and Lasso’s responsibility with democratic continuity.”
Electrification of shrimp farms: ‘We see from the sector that the problem is not given the priority it deserves’
For this shrimp farm electrification project, the National Chamber of Aquaculture (CNA) has developed a phased schedule. These are resources for the construction of public infrastructure for the supply of electricity to rural sectors where shrimp farms are located. It is about financing for a period of 15 years, with a grace period of 5 years.
The use of fossil fuels will be replaced by the installation of substations, three-phase electrical distribution networks or their expansion.
Source: Eluniverso
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