The reinforcement of the electricity distribution system is a key factor for the reduction of costs and the expansion of the aquaculture
Loan from CAF will boost productivity of the Ecuadorian shrimp industry with clean energy
ECUADOR
Friday, July 12, 2019, 00:10 (GMT + 9)
The Board of Directors of the Development Bank of Latin America (CAF) approved a USD 200 million loan to support the Program for Strengthening Electric Distribution Networks in the Aquaculture sector.
The news was announced by the Vice Minister of Aquaculture and Fisheries, Catalina Cárdenas, as part of the inauguration of Aqua Expo El Oro 2019, held in Machala on the night of this Tuesday, July 9.
The vice minister stressed that for the second year, shrimp is the first non-oil export product in the country. "Ecuador has 215,000 hectares of shrimp farms, of which 20% are in El Oro, around 45,000 hectares that contribute to the productive chain of the country," she said.
For his part, the executive president of the National Chamber of Aquaculture (CNA), José Antonio Camposano, said that the CAF investment is the result of a work carried out during several months by the public-private sector, and that the Program of Reinforcement of Electrical Distribution Networks will benefit more than 55,000 hectares dedicated to shrimp farming on the Ecuadorian coast.
From left to right: José Antonio Camposano C., Sub. Aquaculture, Cati Cárdenas Vélez and other participants
This program contemplates the improvement of electric transmission and distribution systems, with an emphasis on providing energy to the shrimp sector.
The implementation of clean energy electrical systems in the provinces of Guayas, El Oro, Manabí, Esmeraldas and Santa Elena will allow the sector to benefit from the possibility of having pumping, aeration and automated feeding, and to achieve a more intensive production per unit area.
"Through the development of electrical infrastructure we will improve the productivity and competitiveness of the shrimp industry in Ecuador by increasing efficiency and replacing the use of fossil energy with clean energy that will allow them to be certified as green production. Another relevant aspect of this project is that it includes a component of rural and marginal urban electrification with a potential reach of more than 6,500 homes of vulnerable populations, substantially improving their quality of life, "said CAF CEO Luis Carranza.
editorial@seafood.media
www.seafood.media
|