Argentina's Energy Secretariat, Chile's Ministry of Energy and Energy Sustainability Agency publish their progress after the first year of implementation of their EUROCLIMA+ project
Santiago, Chile. 31 March 2022. The Secretariat of Energy of the Ministry of Economy of Argentina, the Ministry of Energy of Chile and the Energy Sustainability Agency of Chile published the progress made after the first year of implementation of the EUROCLIMA+ project "Mitigation of greenhouse gases and adaptation to the impacts of climate change in Latin America through the strengthening of energy efficiency in strategic sectors of Argentina and Chile", reflecting their contribution to the good use of energy in both countries. This publication is published on the occasion of Energy Efficiency Month, in the framework of which World Energy Efficiency Day was celebrated on 5 March.
The project aims to strengthen energy efficiency policies, norms, standards, tools and best practices in Argentina and Chile through the transfer of knowledge between the two countries and the development of actions in sectors considered strategic for their high potential for energy efficiency and for their capacity for replication and demonstration in different productive sectors. Its objective is to contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gases by strengthening the energy efficiency measures contained in the Nationally Determined Contributions of Argentina and Chile.
The complete proposal includes the development of 8 products (or expected results) to be implemented in Argentina and Chile, considered strategic due to their high potential for energy efficiency and their capacity for replication and demonstration. The progress of each one of them is as follows:
With regard to Output 1, "Incorporation of Energy Management Systems in 20 energy-intensive companies", the call for tenders in Chile was successfully closed, with 18 energy-intensive companies interested in implementing Energy Management Systems. The administrative review process of the bids was also initiated. In Argentina, the creation of a Learning Network for companies interested in its implementation is being planned.
With regard to Output 2, "Conduct energy diagnostics and training in 200 SMEs", courses started in February of this year, and already more than 80 companies are being trained.
With regard to Output 3, "Training 2,000 people in Energy Management Systems, Energy Efficiency and Climate Change", the development of the training model was completed, which consists of a guide of guidelines for the design and development of training sessions on energy for adults. In addition, the generation of training content on climate change and sustainability, energy and energy efficiency was completed, as well as the energy management workshop for SMEs, led by experts in energy efficiency from Argentina and Chile.
With regard to Output 4, "Implement 30 intelligent monitoring systems in public buildings", 50% of its execution was achieved, as the technical evaluation of 30 public buildings was completed and 15 of these were selected in each country for the implementation of these systems.
Output 5, "Generate a guide on remote management systems for public lighting aimed at project developers", completed the international study of remote management regulations for public lighting, after surveying the regulations of Peru, Colombia, Mexico, Spain, the United Kingdom and Australia. Projects already implemented in Argentina and Chile were also analysed.
For its part, Output 6, "To carry out a comprehensive study to determine a roadmap for energy efficiency labelling and the evolution of minimum efficiency standards", reached 50% of its execution, having carried out a diagnosis and action plan on the different national programmes and minimum energy efficiency standards in Argentina and Chile.
Meanwhile, in Output 7, "Conduct a harmonised regulatory study on energy efficiency for inter-city freight transport and support the implementation of best practices in 20 companies", a workshop was held to exchange experiences and lessons learned with representatives of the SmartWay programme for harmonised transport between the United States, Canada and Mexico, and progress was made in the development of the proposal for harmonising efficient transport programmes and guides for successful cases of implementation in freight transport companies.
Finally, Output 8, "Carry out dissemination, communication and knowledge exchange campaigns on Energy Management Systems, Energy Efficiency and Climate Change for target groups", was able to exceed 44% of execution, participating in the organisation and dissemination of awareness-raising workshops and creating the project's visual identity. Within this framework, 10 events were held to disseminate its initiatives, competitions and tenders, with more than 870 participants and 2,200 views in Latin American countries such as Chile, Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, Peru and Spain. As a major milestone, one year after the start of this project, the digital dissemination platform was launched, which can be visited at www.euroclimaplusargentinachile.org. In the virtual inauguration event, female participation exceeded male participation for the first time, amounting to 54%.
About the project
In August 2019, the Energy Secretariat of the Ministry of Economy of Argentina, the Energy Sustainability Agency of Chile and the Ministry of Energy of Chile were selected, through the project "Mitigation of greenhouse gases and adaptation to the impacts of climate change in Latin America by strengthening energy efficiency in strategic sectors of Argentina and Chile", by the Energy Efficiency sector of EUROCLIMA+, which is implemented by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) and the French Development Agency (AFD).
About EUROCLIMA+
EUROCLIMA+ is a programme funded by the European Union and co-financed by the German federal government through the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), as well as by the governments of France and Spain. Its objective is to reduce the impact of climate change and its effects in 18 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean by promoting climate change mitigation and adaptation, resilience and investment. The Programme is implemented under the synergistic work of seven agencies: the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), the French Development Agency (AFD), the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), Expertise France (EF), the International and Ibero-America Foundation for Administration and Public Policy (FIIAPP), the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ) GmbH, and the UN Environment Programme.
About the Energy Efficiency sector
The objective of this sector is to contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation through the implementation of energy efficiency measures, in line with the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) assumed by countries under the Paris Agreement. The actions financed under this sector aim to support countries in their efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change in the energy sector. The projects are aimed at identifying and financing initiatives that help strengthen capacities, institutions, public policy regulatory frameworks and monitoring systems that promote energy efficiency.