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Ecuador receives delegation from Japan on technical assistance

Ecuador receives delegation from Japan on technical assistance Pichincha mountains near Quito, Ecuador (source: flickr/ Guillaume Lavaure, creative commons)
Francisco Rojas 22 Oct 2014

Ecuador has recently welcomed the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) commission for cooperation in the development of projects CELEC EP - Termopichincha setting an important milestone in the development of geothermal projects.

Local news report that Ecuador has recently welcomed the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) commission for cooperation in the development of projects CELEC EP – Termopichincha setting an important milestone in the development of geothermal projects in Ecuador.

This scheme of cooperation between the two countries, provides advice and technical support by Japan to strengthen capacities in the EP CELEC geothermal sector, promoting the development and construction of geothermal plants and aiming at lessening delays.

One of the goals established in the electricity sector is diversifying its energy matrix, prioritizing the use of existing non-conventional renewable energy sources in the country, geothermal energy contributes to the mitigation of climate change and development of the surrounding communities, aspects that have been considered and shared by the Government of Japan, who has shown interest in supporting their expertise and resources to this national initiative.

The Government and JICA signed a document intended to ensure the quality of advanced feasibility studies for geothermal projects Chachimbiro (Imbabura) and Chacana (Napo), which will be conducted by CELEC EP-Termopichincha under one consulting contract.

Japanese assistance includes counseling at no cost to Ecuador, to oversee the Feasibility Study of Advanced Chacana Chachimbiro projects.

It is estimated that technical assistance will start in late 2014 until early 2016, and it will be comprised of pre-contractual stage reports and environmental impact studies of the exploratory phase.

The Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy, as the governing body of the electricity sector, delegated CELEC EP as the entity responsible for the development of geothermal projects in Ecuador.

A visit from the authorities of the strategic sectors to Japan, where he sought to consolidate that country as a partner in the development of national industry was held in March this same year.

Source: CELEC Ecuador via Piensa Geotermia