ARGENTINA - Energy Efficiency Project

 

Implementing Agency: World Bank,

 

Starting:          January 2006

 

Ending:           2012

 

Description:

 

During the last two decades several energy efficiency (EE) programs have been carried out in Argentina, but so far only with limited success. The main obstacles have been a general lack of information on the economic benefits of EE programs; lack of technical know-how; poor regulatory and institutional incentives; financial constraints; and a scarcity of efficient equipment and services in the market place.

Now, as Argentina’s economy is recovering strongly, the demand for natural gas and electricity is increasing, and the Government wishes to substantially improve energy efficiency levels in the economy, so as to reduce costs for consumers and enhance long term energy sector sustainability.

The global objective of the Project is to reduce environmentally harmful gas emissions by systematically removing the barriers that prevent investments in efficient energy use and conservation. (GEF No.5 Operational Program). Project implementation will take place over the course of six years.

The Project’s main activities are:

1. To promote EE investments and practices by end-users by supporting further market penetration of energy efficient equipment and services, including ESCOs;

2. To facilitate EE and demand-side management (DSM) investments by electric power distribution companies;

3. To provide technical assistance for Project promotion, monitoring and management.

The estimated total cost of the EE Project is US$40.3 million. The Project will be financed by a GEF grant, bilateral donors, the Argentine Government, energy companies, commercial financing sources, and other stakeholder and participants.

Preliminary estimates show that by the year 2014, the Project could reach the following results (to be revised during project preparation), as compared with the baseline: a 1,880 MW reduction in electric power demand; a 12.7 TWh reduction in annual generation of electric power, and savings of 1.0 million tons of oil equivalent per year. The estimated reduction in CO2 emissions over a ten year period from the start of the project is estimated at 14.3 million tons – equivalent to a 5% reduction in emissions.

 

 

Budget:

 

GEF Grant:                   US$     15,500,000 

Co-financing:                US$     82,613,000

Total Budget:                US$     98,113,000

 

Source:

 

http://www.gefonline.org/projectDetails.cfm?projID=2625