Ecuador’s ministry of energy and mining said on Thursday that it will invest USD 282 million (EUR 264.9m) in the grid enlargement and modernisation to enable shrimp farmers in the country to make the switch from diesel to electricity.
State-owned entities CELEC and CNEL, a power transmission and a distribution company, respectively, will be in charge of the initiative.
The investment will finance 194 projects across the provinces of El Oro, Esmeraldas, Guayas, Manabi and Santa Elena. The works will involve boosting the transmission capacity in substations by 392 MW and construction of 411 km (255.4 miles) of power lines, and strengthening the distribution system to help electrify the shrimp sector and cover its demand of 324 MW, the ministry said.
The overall goal of the effort is to improve the quality of service, modernise the system and expand the public electricity networks in areas around the shrimp farms. The projects will benefit 5,025 homes that live without electricity and improve services for 1,379 homes.
Highlighting the importance of the shrimp sector for Ecuador’s balance of trade, the ministry said that the electrification will enable shrimp farmers to increase productivity around 30%. By replacing diesel with electricity and renewable energy, the farmers can expect to have better sales opportunities abroad thanks to green seal certifications.
(USD 1.0 = EUR 0.939)
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