These are initiatives that arise from joint work between the Regional Government of Los Lagos, six municipalities, 12 companies in the area and Huella Local, which will allow 36 families to be supplied with electricity in a permanent and sustainable manner.
With the presence of local authorities and representatives of the private sector, the community of Piedra Blanca celebrated the beginning of the installation works of photovoltaic panels, equipment that will ensure access to electrical energy for 36 families of this island town and, also, in the Michailelo sector.
These initiatives will be financed with resources from the Undersecretary of Regional and Administrative Development (Subdere) for 544 million pesos. The design and application of these projects was generated thanks to the work of the Convergence Table for the Development of Lagging Areas Los Lagos, an instance of public-private coordination that brings together the Regional Government, six municipalities, the companies Yadran, Transportes Puelche, AquaChile , Invermar, Marine Farm, Fiordo Austral, Salmones Aysén, Mowi, Salmones Austral, Cermaq, Blumar, Camanchaca and Salmón Chile), and the NGO Huella Local .
In this alliance, companies provide resources so that Huella Local can develop projects that are prioritized by the municipalities, always considering the needs expressed by the community. And the proposed model has been successful, since in just over a year more than 2.7 billion pesos have been approved to execute projects in isolated territories of Chiloé and Calbuco.
With a sense of relevance and concern for the environment
In the towns of Piedra Blanca and Michailelo, access to energy is intermittent. In these places, each family manages its own solution; many of them through oil engines, which means a high cost for the family budget.
The projects that begin construction seek to solve this problem. And that is why the installation of photovoltaic panels was defined, since they can obtain energy through solar radiation and deposit it in a bank of lithium batteries, which through an electrical converter can supply electrical energy to each home.
For Álex Mancilla, leader of the indigenous community of Piedra Blanca, this collaborative experience was quite positive and significant. “We complement ourselves with the Local Footprint team (entity in charge of raising the requirements and developing the initiatives) and the private company that also contributed to this project. It was work that was done on the ground, seeing the needs of the people, the place and how accessible it is, so we were really happy about this,” said the representative.
This idea was also shared by Karen Espinoza, in charge of Territorial Relations at Salmones Austral, who explained that “we believe it is important to participate in this type of instances where the local, the community, the private company and local governments are articulated. “We had already supported other projects in lagging areas, but we are very happy to know that we had an impact in Piedra Blanco and Michailelo by providing a solution to the supply of electrical energy.”
For his part, Omar Vega, Sustainability Manager of Cermaq Chile, stressed that “through this Convergence Table for the Development of Lagging Areas Los Lagos we are contributing, as companies and unions, to improving people’s quality of life. That is very relevant, since it allows us to make visible how the industry can support these processes and generate this significant impact.”
It is important to emphasize that Calbuco, Quemchi, Quinchao, Puqueldón, Queilen and Quellón are the communes that are part of the plan for the backward areas in the Los Lagos Region and, therefore, fundamental in the joint work between the Regional Government, municipalities , companies and Local Footprint.
Source: www.elrepuertero.cl
