The region will have the first power station to produce electricity through renewable energies

the factory will operate in the ceamse complex at punta lara

By: Fernando Coradazzi

[email protected]

Starting next month, our region will have the first power plant generating electricity from renewable energies. It will use the biogas dump technology of the Ensenada Environmental Complex, located on the 74th diagonal to Punta Lara, where 1,100 tonnes of waste arrive daily from the towns of La Plata, Berisso, Magdalena, Brandsen and Ensenada.

As reported in this newspaper by the National Directorate of Promotion of Renewable Energy, reporting to the Ministry of Finance, the project Industrias F. Secco will have an installed capacity of 5 MW and will generate electricity. electricity for more than 3,977 households.

With an investment of $ 12.5 million, it is nearing completion and is expected to go into commercial operation next month.

The factory in Ensenada is similar to another under construction in the sanitary landfill of González Catán, in the district of La Matanza.

In the entire province of Buenos Aires, 38 renewable energy projects were awarded for a total of 1,622.4 MW of installed electricity, with an investment of nearly $ 2.5 million and 3,862 jobs generated between construction, maintenance All initiatives are promoted by the national government.

In total, 19 municipalities will be implanted in renewable energy projects: Bahía Blanca, Miramar, Villarino, Roque Perez, Tres Arroyos, Necochea, Patagones, Ramallo, Saladillo, General Villegas, Pergamino, Rojas, the capital Sarmiento, The Matanza, Ensenada. , Maipú, Azul, Tornguinst and Coronel Rosales.

By technology, the projects mainly include wind energy, as well as the two biogas initiatives and, in a minor stage, photovoltaics.

More than 200 projects rewarded

The engineer Walter Morrone, 39, national director of the promotion of renewable energies, revealed that "today in Argentina, more than 200 projects have been awarded and 120 are under construction; average of one and a half project per week will be inaugurated in 2019. "

According to the manager, the growth of the sector is explained by the fact that there is now "a clear regulatory framework, predictable over time because the recovery of capital in this type of investment is 20 years and the conditions for that this investment can be made "

The regulatory framework was defined in the law n ° 27 191 on renewable energies, promulgated in September 2015 but regulated in March 2016 for its implementation.

On the other hand, in November 2018, the government issued the decree regulating Law 27,424 which establishes the scheme for promoting decentralized renewable energy production integrated into the public electricity grid. With this regulation, households and businesses, as well as other institutions such as schools, started by setting up electricity production by the users themselves, who would be able to source energy and to return the surpluses to the network.

In this way, residential users and SMEs will be able to save money on their electricity bills and, in the long run, make money from the production of electricity that must be returned by the distributors or priced at a reduced price. future credit.

"Under Law 27.191, two important actions were generated, explained Morrone, the Renovar program and, in August 2017, the Term Market (MATER), where heavy users can be contacted directly with producers. renewable energy." This is the case of large companies such as Loma Negra and YPF.

Regarding the regulated law last November, 27.191, Morrone said that "this is the future of energy, the cost development down and, by 20:30 or 40 years, hundreds of SMEs install distribution systems with a revolution of the energy matrix and the labor force ".

The wholesale electricity market management company (Cammesa) reports on its website that in November 2018, the participation of renewables in the coverage of electricity demand was still limited: 4.2 %. But from November 2017 and for a period of one year, its participation in the national system has almost doubled.

"Argentina is on track to comply with the law, which establishes 20% of the wholesale electricity market by 2025," Morrone said.