MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Air conditioner census to combat power cuts in Argentina

Although the Argentine government refuses to use the word “crisis”, President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner launched Friday the energy rational consumption program geared to alleviate the power cuts and shortages that have plagued the city of Buenos Aires and metropolitan area.

The program will be tested in the county of Tigre, where a million people live and which in the recent presidential and governor election voted solid for the Kirchner's coalition. Simultaneously the government announced an air conditioner census, house by house, since record sales have been blamed for part of the problem. Basically the voluntary program calls for changing the traditional light bulbs for the low consumption units, moderating the use of air conditioners and restrictions to street and roads illumination, all of which theoretically should help the county save between 8 and 14% electricity consumption. Government and municipal offices will also apply similar measures. On Thursday Cristina Kirchner admitted that "there were more than 50.000 simultaneous power cuts in the City of Buenos Aires and other parts of the country," with the further admission that "the systems often aren't prepared for these changes" and that this will require "increased efficiency by the business sector as well as increased responsibility by the State and regulatory bodies to reach a solution". President Cristina Kirchner also announced that most of the major corporations with operations in the county of Tigre had anticipated their adherence to the rational use of energy program. An assessment of the plan is scheduled for February 15, when depending on the degree of success it will be applied to several other counties of metropolitan Buenos Aires. As had been the norm during the previous four year government of her husband, Mrs. Kirchner accused the press of minimizing the significance of the program which, she said, "was described as a mere bulb changing program". "This program has a clear objective which is the rational use of energy, a renewable asset we all need", she said insisting that growth in Argentina "must come hand to hand with the cultural defense of each of the concepts that are linked to renewable assets". Cabinet chief Alberto Fernandez rejected the idea of "energy problems", and rather pointed to distribution problems blaming some of the power cuts on the recent heat wave and the huge increase in the number of air conditioners that have been installed in 2007, a rise estimated at 50% compared to 2006. There are estimates that 1.1 million air conditioners were sold in 2007 throughout the country and energy experts estimate that the electricity consumption of all these new machines is the equivalent of 3,500 megawatts compared to the total peak demand of around 18,000 megawatts. The head of the General Mosconi energy institute, Jorge Lapeña, said a number of the cuts suffered by Buenos Aires residents could be due to programmed cuts by the electricity distributors. Meanwhile the head of the union that represents janitors in the City of Buenos Aires, Victor Santamaría, confirmed that under instructions from Domestic Trade Secretary Guillermo Moreno, apartment building janitors will attempt to carry out a survey of the number of air conditioners there are in each building in the City of Buenos Aires. Under instructions from Moreno, electricity distributors, in this case Edenor and Edesur, are preparing the forms that will be delivered to the janitors, a move that has already received some criticism. Santamaría clarified that the "the administration consortium will have to authorize the janitor" to carry out the task. "If people don't want to provide the information, that is their right," he explained, adding however that "one has to try and help." Distributors hope to gather enough data to show where the greatest concentration of air conditioners are to be found "so as to be able to take preventive measures and adapt the networks" to meet this increase in demand. Mrs. Kirchner as her husband during the winter energy crisis blamed the power cuts on Argentina's sustained economic growth, which has left the "grid on its knees". "But we don't deny problems, we address them, we find solutions. We must distinguish those problems which result from positive factors and those from negative factors", said President Cristina Kirchner. "These are the problems generated by growth in a country with burgeoning consumption, more jobs, better distribution than other models which had drastic consequences for Argentina", she added. But in spite of her strong speech, down to earth experts blame the power cuts on insufficient investment and maintenance, which has resulted from public utility rates virtually frozen since the 2002 melt down, lack of incentives to attract more companies to the energy sector and a whole attitude of accusing "profit gobbling oriented" corporations for the lag in provision and investment. Furthermore Argentina is forecasted to become a net importer or crude by the end of next year because of the same policy towards the oil industry with huge export duties and administer domestic prices for fuel.