MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentina extends energy saving plan & efficiency culture

Argentina's president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner claimed on Wednesday the government had already saved almost 600 megawatts in electricity as part of the joint Plan for Efficient Energy use.

However she insisted on the need for more energy-saving domestic appliances, while addressing a group of Buenos Aires province mayors from seven different municipalities that signed up to the energy plan known as the Plan for the Rational and Efficient use of Energy (PRONUREE). "I was speaking to Under-Secretary Roberto Baratta (Planning Ministry) on the numbers we're seeing concerning energy rationing and we're nearly in the order of 600 megawatts," the President said. "At the same time we're changing 100,000 light bulbs and if we can get hold of more we'll complete the project just as we had foreseen it," she added. The project's aim is to change 25 million ordinary light bulbs for energy-saving lights. Mrs Kirchner insisted that it is "crucial" to make sure that household appliances be as efficient as possible in their use of energy and said the government would be stimulating the sale of more efficient appliances. Addressing the issue of air-conditioners, the President said that, "it has often been made to look as if we were against air-conditioning, but what's clear is that an air-conditioner consumes 180 kilowatts a month and a television 12 kilowatts of electricity." The agreement in Government House was signed by the mayors of several municipalities in the Greater Buenos Aires area and all of them consented to the plan drawn up to save energy after Argentina suffered its most serious energy crisis in recent history last year. Other signatories were Juan Carlos Lascurain of the Unión Industrial Argentina and Carlos De la Vega of the Argentine Chamber of Commerce. Also present were Buenos Aires Governor Daniel Scioli, Interior Minister Florencio Randazzo and Daniel Cameron, the energy secretary. Governor Scioli called for a "culture of efficiency" and hammered on the importance of "this permanent commitment of the mayors of the province of Buenos Aires." Earlier this year the government banned the export of fuel liquids in a bid to halt the rise of fuel prices and supply the domestic market with cheaper fuel. The ongoing energy crisis also led the government to introduce daylight-saving time on December 30, turning the clocks an hour ahead. During the ceremony President Cristina Kirchner also revealed that Argentina is currently co-ordinating actions with Chile as part of the rational use of energy plan, although no further comments were advanced on which measures could be achieved by this co-operation initiative. Mrs. Kirchner expressed her gladness as Chile has "launched similar measures (as the ones implemented in Argentina) toward the rational use of energy," which involved the setting of the Daylight Saving Time in that country. In Chile, the government has gone further by reducing the tension of the electricity network by 10%, Mrs. Kirchner said in her speech. According to Mrs. Kirchner, these measures show that "the energy problem concerns the world, and is related to the rationality in the use of resources that are not eternal and have to be used with balance".