Recognized with the Olade Energy Excellence 2024 award for its adherence to the Escazú Agreement in the development of the transmission project for decarbonization with social acceptance.
A permanent territorial linkage, due diligence in human rights, segmented communication, with a territorial, gender and age focus, and broad communication channels, are the principles that made the Kimal-Lo Aguirre project the winner of the Latin American Energy Organization (Olade) awards for Energy Excellence 2024, in the decarbonization category.
Olade’s recognition aims to promote and give visibility to activities that lead to an improvement in sustainable development, energy efficiency and decarbonization processes, in order to promote their replicability both nationally and internationally.
The awards event was held in a live ceremony during the IX Energy Week held in the city of Asunción, Paraguay, the largest annual meeting in Latin America and the Caribbean of public and private decision-makers in the field of energy. In this edition, 71 applications were received from 14 countries with the objective of recognizing and disseminating the best energy projects in Latin America and the Caribbean in the areas of energy efficiency, decarbonization and renewable energies.
“Olade has recognized Conexión Kimal Lo Aguirre for the project’s impact on the decarbonization of the country by connecting with the solar supply in the north of the country and for the priority it has given to social participation and acceptance, essential for the execution of projects of this magnitude in the energy sector,” said Andrés Rebolledo, Executive Secretary of the organization.
The project presented the experience developed in the early community process, with a focus on human rights, respect for indigenous peoples, and the rights of access to environmental information and participation in environmental matters promoted by the Escazú Agreement.
Escazú is a regional agreement on Access to Information, Public Participation and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters in Latin America and the Caribbean, recently enacted in Chile, so “we hope that our experience can contribute to the implementation of new community relations mechanisms. We have found that when we communicate in a timely and appropriate manner, and invite meaningful participation in the decisions that affect their lives and their environment, people become involved in the participation processes,” said Sustainability Manager Carola Venegas.
Prior to the project’s entry into the Environmental Impact Assessment System, more than seven thousand people were part of our process, through comments through the available channels, or by making field visits, reviewing information in mapping workshops, door to door, among others”, Venegas reinforced.
