23 Oct
2006 - Buenos Aires, Argentina – Argentina could
reduce its expected electric energy growth up
to 30% by 2020 and avoid up to US$6.5 billion
in new energy investments, while stabilizing its
power sector’s carbon dioxide emissions at 2005
levels by 2020, according to a report released
today by WWF and its associate organization Fundacion
Vida Silvestre Argentina (FVSA).
“Argentina is today facing the
twofold challenge of energy and climate security,
with significant risks for our economy, society
and nature,” said Marcelo Acerbi, FVSA's Conservation
Director.
“This study outlines concrete
steps for the short, medium and long term to lead
to a more secure and sustainable power sector,
preventing the risk of power rationing or gas
shortages while reducing Argentina’s climate footprint.”
According to the environmental
groups, Argentina could cut between 18–30% of
its projected power consumption growth by 2020
using ambitious policies for reducing power waste,
both at the production and consumption level.
This is a total saving of 58.500GWh, or equivalent
to twice the yearly consumption of the city of
Buenos Aires. In this way, Argentina could avoid
building between five to eights large thermoelectric
power plants over the next 15 years. The WWF–FVSA
scenario could also lead to natural gas consumption
savings, ranging between 27 and 40 million of
cubic meters per day by 2020, about four times
the current gas imports from Bolivia.
This would result in direct
savings of US$6.5 billion for consumers by the
year 2020, the equivalent of seven times the 2005
government’s poverty reduction spending. Indirect
savings related to the avoidance of economic disruption
due to power and natural gas shortages are likely
to be much higher.
“For Argentina, cutting energy
waste is more cost-effective than constructing
new, large thermoelectric or hydropower plants,"
said Carlos Tanides, the report coordinator from
the University of Buenos Aires. "For each
Peso invested in energy efficiency, the country
could save at least 16 more pesos."
By implementing this blueprint
for a climate-safe power sector, Argentina could
stabilize its electricity-related CO2 emissions
by 2020 at a level close to that of 2005, which
means producing 70 million tons of CO2 instead
of 100 million tons, with a saving of 30% compared
to a business as usual scenario. This is the equivalent
of taking about seven million cars off the road
each year.
“This is the kind of proposal
that Argentina should consider to both profit
from the benefits of the international carbon
market and reaffirm its 1998 voluntary commitment
for reducing its greenhouse emissions,” said Giulio
Volpi, coordinator of WWF's Climate Change Programme
for Latin America and the Caribbean.
“In doing so, Argentina would
boost economic competitiveness and technology
innovation, while showing leadership on the global
fight on climate change."
To realize this potential, FVSA
and WWF call on Argentina's government to adopt
a aggressive energy efficiency plan. Priority
actions include the swift implementation of energy
efficiency labels and the establishment of minimum
consumption standards for all energy-consuming
products, from refrigerators to cars, from houses
to energy intensive industries.
“There is a huge untapped potential
for energy efficiency in a emerging country like
Argentina," said Jonás Beccar Varela,
FVSA Communications Director.
“For instance, approximately
half of the refrigerators that will be on the
market by 2020 have not been manufactured yet.
To realize this potential we need strong leadership
by the Argentinean government which should implement
urgently a energy efficiency plan."
Lucila Tamborini, Communications
Officer
Fundacion Vida Silvestre Argentina
DJonás Beccar Varela, Director of Communications
Fundacion Vida Silvestre Argentina
