Colombia. The project " Thermal Districts in Colombia-Phase II " announced its accompaniment to the exemplary project "DT Gran Manzana- Alameda del Jardín", operated by Celsia, an entity selected to receive a contribution of up to US$400,000, as a result of the fourth call for thermal district projects in Colombia that closed on September 4th.
"Colombia is a pioneer country in the implementation and promotion of thermal districts in the region that Switzerland has been supporting. Projects like this are an important environmental contribution to the sustainable development of cities and for local governments to achieve their environmental objectives," explained Eric Mayoraz, Ambassador of Switzerland to Colombia.
For her part, Engineer Cristina Mariaca, national coordinator of the project "Thermal Districts in Colombia - Phase II" said: "From the Thermal Districts project in Colombia we promote this alternative of providing thermal services with environmental and energy efficiency criteria in the main 10 cities of the country, because we understand that this is an opportunity to develop profitable businesses, that promote sustainable development within the framework of energy transition and climate change policies".
"DT Gran Manzana- Alameda del Jardín" is a pilot project to connect some apartments of the residential buildings of the Alameda del Jardín complex, in Cartagena, to the Gran Manzana Thermal District. The above, with the purpose of benefiting about 50 families through the provision of a more efficient, sustainable air conditioning service with lower environmental impacts, in addition to serving as a reference in the city to replicate in other sectors.
The official announcement of the winning project was made on October 31 in Cartagena with the presence of the Ambassador of Switzerland in Colombia, Eric Mayoraz; Julien Robet, Head of the Cooperation and Development Office - SECO; Ursula Schläppi, honorary consul of Switzerland in Cartagena; Ángela María Sarmiento, head of Regulatory Affairs of the Ministry of Mines and Energy; Guillermo Prieto, Director of Climate Change and Risk Management of the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development; Hugo Vides of the International Cooperation Office of the Mayor's Office of Cartagena; Néstor Castro, Corvivienda Manager of the Mayor's Office of Cartagena and Luis Felipe Vélez Restrepo, commercial vice president of Celsia.
Provision of thermal services with environmental criteria
This fourth call aimed to choose a proposal for a flagship project that would consolidate the different facets that have been developed from the institutional fronts, sustainability of knowledge, gender and renewable energies throughout the second phase of the strategy to accompany its implementation. The exploratory project "DT Gran Manzana-Alameda del Jardín", of Cartagena, operated by Celsia met the established conditions.
The proposal will also be accompanied by all the actors involved in the project for its implementation and implementation, including the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, the Ministry of Mines and Energy, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the Office for Cooperation and Development (SECO) of the Embassy of Switzerland.
The implementation of this project responds to local and national government plans around the fulfillment of the Sustainable Development Goals and climate change goals, also provides savings in electrical energy, requires less maintenance and reduces the costs associated with it, as well as CO2 emissions since they do not require the use of refrigerants.
