Colombia. The Swiss Confederation, the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development and EPM signed a cooperation agreement for the development of the Thermal Districts Project in Colombia, which seeks to promote its implementation in the country to improve the energy efficiency of public buildings and replace air conditioners that work with Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS) and others with high environmental impact.
The agreement was signed by the Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development of Colombia, Luz Helena Sarmiento Villamizar, the Ambassador of Switzerland in Colombia, Dora Rapold, the Vice President of Gas of the EPM Group, Carlos Arturo Díaz Romero and the Director General of the Presidential Agency for International Cooperation of Colombia, Sandra Bessudo Lion.
The proposal seeks to comply with the commitments of the Montreal Protocol (on the control and elimination of ODS), the goals of the Colombian low-carbon development strategy and the rational and efficient use of energy (Proure) program.
After signing the agreement, Ambassador Rapold indicated that her country is "proud to contribute to this innovative project that includes the construction of the most important Thermal District in Latin America and technical assistance at the national level to promote the replication of good practices in several cities."
For her part, Minister Sarmiento Villamizar stressed that "the project will contribute to the fulfillment of the Colombian Government's commitments to the Montreal Protocol, the goals of the Colombian low-carbon development strategy and the rational and efficient use of energy program."
The Director of APC Colombia, Sandra Bessudo, said that "it is an example of complementarity between Switzerland, the National Government and the regions to have sustainable development with positive environmental impacts."
The General Manager of EPM and leader of the EPM Group, Juan Esteban Calle Restrepo, reiterated the conglomerate's commitment to the care of the environment and the contribution in the construction of sustainable territories. He highlighted the choice of EPM as the implementation agency of the Thermal Districts Project in Colombia, thanks to the pilot that it develops in the buildings of the La Alpujarra administrative center and some surrounding facilities, designed to reduce environmental impact, reduce operation and maintenance costs and optimize energy consumption.
The origin
As a signatory to the Montreal Protocol, Colombia has managed resources since 1994 through the Ozone Technical Unit (UTO) of the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development to develop investment, demonstration and strengthening projects for more than USD 19 million, executed mainly through the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).
Within the framework of the development of the UNDP Chillers Demonstration Project, executed by the UTO, the use of chillers (equipment that generates ice water) with ODS in cooling systems of the La Alpujarra Administrative Center was identified. Among the activities of the project, technical assistance was provided to replace this equipment in public entities. Among the alternatives considered, the EPM Thermal District was evaluated, which consists of providing the ice water service for the air conditioning system, completely replacing the use of equipment with ODS.
In obtaining the financial resources to guarantee the implementation of the project in La Alpujarra and strengthen the national capacity in the face of pilot experiences for the transformation of the market for the replacement of chillers with ODS, the UTO obtained the endorsement of the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs (SECO), to carry out a comprehensive plan of Thermal Districts in Colombia, with specific focus on Bogotá, Medellín, Cali, Barranquilla and Cartagena.
Resources
Of the USD 13.15 million required to execute the project in the country, USD 5.78 million was contributed by the Swiss Government and USD 757,000 by the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development. EPM contributed USD 6.03 million for the construction works of the La Alpujarra Thermal District, and USD 582,000 more for the human capital needed to fine-tune the districts.
The Swiss Government, through the SECO, will co-finance the construction in the capital of Antioquia. Of the USD 5.78 million it will deliver for the national project, it allocated USD 2.13 million for Medellín. In turn, the Ozone Technical Unit of the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development will contribute USD 500,000.
An innovative project
The La Alpujarra Thermal District, the first of its kind to be built in Latin America, will provide air conditioning services to the buildings of the Mayor's Office of Medellín, the Municipal Council, the Government of Antioquia, the Departmental Assembly, the Metropolitan Area, the Directorate of National Taxes and Customs (Dian) and the planned new headquarters of UNE.
It is an urban distribution network that produces ice water - from a central plant - and transports it through underground pipes to the buildings that make it up, in order to produce air conditioning. Thus, individual constructions do not need their own cooling equipment, since the system solves it, becoming a friendly solution with the environment and the care of the planet.
The La Alpujarra Thermal District is expected to start operations during the first quarter of 2015 and achieve environmental savings of 100% of installed ODS and savings of more than 30% of direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions.
