Bolivia guarantees an investment of more than $ 100 million for rural electrification

This Ministry of Hydrocarbons and Energies release was published using machine translation.

UCOM-MHE-02-14-2021.- Authorities from the Ministry of Hydrocarbons and Energies today guaranteed the investment of more than 100 million dollars to expand and improve the coverage of electricity service in rural areas of Bolivia.

"The President (Luis Arce) has asked us to promptly resolve this problem of access to electricity," said Deputy Minister of Electricity and Alternative Energies, José María Romay. "We are in charge of expanding the coverage of the electricity sector trying to reach the most remote places so that all Bolivians have access to electricity."

He explained that through the Electricity Program for Living with Dignity (PEVD) and the National Electricity Company (ENDE), the coverage of electricity service in rural areas was increased to 83% and pointed out that the objective is to reach 100% up to 2025.

“This program is financed by the Inter-American Development Bank, KFW, Fonplata. We are talking about 108 million dollars with which we are going to reach approximately 40,000 families in the rural sector. We already have more than half progress on this program and we are working on many rural electrification projects, ”added Romay.

The Vice Minister of Electricity and Alternative Energies stressed that last year the "coup d'état" paralyzed the execution of numerous projects to bring electricity to households in rural areas, mostly in indigenous and low-income communities.

"We not only reach families (with electricity) for home use, but also for productive uses, for schools, health posts, social headquarters and social infrastructures that also need access to electricity," he said.

The PEVD aims to achieve its objectives through the strategy of encouraging the combination of public and private investment through the application of different technological alternatives, such as photovoltaic systems, wind generators, hybrid systems, small hydroelectric plants, densification and extension of electrical networks, among others.

“Reactivating our projects, accelerating the electrification programs, we are contributing to the economic reactivation of the country (…), that generates a huge chain of services, jobs (…). This year we are going to triple the amount of investment that we had last year, ”said Romay.