{"id":50363324,"date":"2023-02-17T14:19:25","date_gmt":"2023-02-17T14:19:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dialogochino.net\/?p=63324"},"modified":"2023-09-15T16:00:21","modified_gmt":"2023-09-15T15:00:21","slug":"363324-failed-refinery-to-become-ecuadors-largest-solar-power-plant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/energy\/363324-failed-refinery-to-become-ecuadors-largest-solar-power-plant\/","title":{"rendered":"Failed refinery to become Ecuador\u2019s largest solar plant"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In El Aromo, the locals say, the sun is generous all year round. The dry forest area, on the northern coast of Ecuador near the city of Manta in Manabi province, has an average temperature of 23C year-round. Some 700 people live here, making a living through farming, fishing and cattle ranching.<\/p>\n<p>But in 2008, the inhabitants of this peaceful place saw their tranquillity shattered. Promising jobs and economic growth, the government of Rafael Correa announced plans for a huge oil project, the Pacific Refinery. Some 1,200 hectares of forest were cleared, affecting the local climate and driving endangered species like the margay [a small wild cat native to Central and South America] and the white-tailed deer away from the area.<\/p>\n<p>But the refinery never saw the light of day as the government <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eldiario.ec\/noticias-manabi-ecuador\/398789-ocho-anos-despues-de-la-primera-piedra-en-la-refineria-del-pacifico\/\">failed to find funding<\/a>. An official <a href=\"https:\/\/www.contraloria.gob.ec\/SalaDePrensa\/NoticiasPorSectores\/24086\">report<\/a> into the project plan found numerous irregularities, including that the state didn\u2019t have the necessary environmental permits and lost millions of dollars to corruption.<\/p>\n<p>Another factor was the death of Hugo Ch\u00e1vez in 2013. The former Venezuelan leader and strategic ally of Correa had agreed to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eluniverso.com\/2008\/07\/15\/0001\/9\/959D22F35A7B4BEC9945E370793D89B0.html\/\">finance<\/a> 49% of the work through the state-owned oil company, Petr\u00f3leos de Venezuela (PDVSA).<\/p>\n<p>Without money, the refinery dream became an impossible nightmare. The facilities were abandoned \u2013 though narco-terrorist organisations found the cleared area made a useful <a href=\"https:\/\/www.elcomercio.com\/actualidad\/seguridad\/narcotraficantes-detenidos-refineria-pacifico-avioneta.html\">landing strip<\/a>.<br \/>\n<div class='cdo-shortcode--image'><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_63328\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-63328\" style=\"width: 2000px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-63328 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/20230216_The-President-of-Ecuador-and-his-Venezuelan-counterpart-met-to-evaluate-binational-agreements-in-Caracas-in-2009_Presidencia-de-la-Republica-del-Ecuador_Flickr-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"The President of Ecuador and his Venezuelan counterpart met to evaluate binational agreements in Caracas in 2009\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1329\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-63328\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The President of Ecuador, Rafael Correa, and his Venezuelan counterpart, Hugo Ch\u00e1vez, met to evaluate binational agreements in Caracas in October 2009. Among the projects was the Pacific Refinery (Image: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/presidenciaecuador\/3990806953\/\">Presidencia de la Rep\u00fablica del Ecuador<\/a> \/ <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/presidenciaecuador\/\">Flickr<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/2.0\/\">CC BY-NC-SA 2.0<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><\/div><\/p>\n<p>Now, 15 years later, the government of Guillermo Lasso has found a solution for Manabi\u2019s white elephant.<\/p>\n<h2>Where the sun heats<\/h2>\n<p>At the end of 2022, the government announced it was to sign a 20-year <a href=\"https:\/\/www.primicias.ec\/noticias\/economia\/empresa-espanola-construira-central-energetica-aromo-manabi\/\">contract<\/a> with Spanish company Solarpackteam to build and operate a solar plant on part of the site of the abandoned refinery. The photovoltaic plant will generate 200 megawatts \u2013 enough to cover 60% of Manta\u2019s electricity demand, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.celec.gob.ec\/enerjubones\/index.php\/sala-prensa\/noticias\/123-manabi-tendra-la-central-de-energia-fotovoltaica-mas-grande-del-pais\">official estimates<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The El Aromo photovoltaic project will be the most important project of its kind in Ecuador to date, according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/proyectos.energiayminas.gob.ec\/aromo.php\">Ministry of Energy<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe company is investing approximately US$144 million in the construction of the project,\u201d&nbsp; Enith Carri\u00f3n, Ecuador\u2019s deputy minister of electricity and renewable energy, told Di\u00e1logo Chino. \u201cThey\u2019ll provide all the investment, all the civil and mechanical works, and so on,\u201d she said, adding that the Ecuadorian state will pay 0.6 cents for each kilowatt of energy delivered per hour. After 20 years, the plant will be transferred to the state.<\/p>\n<p>The contract stipulates that all unskilled labourers employed by the company must come from the local area, and at least 75% of those hired for the construction, operation and maintenance phases must be Ecuadorian nationals.<\/p>\n<p>According to the Ministry of Energy, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.recursosyenergia.gob.ec\/profesionales-del-sector-electrico-reconocieron-la-importancia-del-proyecto-fotovoltaico-el-aromo\/\">project<\/a> will represent a reduction of 221,000 tonnes of CO2 per year by enabling the country to reduce its use of regional oil-powered power stations. It will also avoid the use of around 100 million litres of diesel for both power generation and transport every year \u2013 equivalent to thel consumption of around 5,000 buses.<\/p>\n<p>The El Aromo area has excellent solar power potential. Official measurements record a daily average of <a href=\"https:\/\/aeeree.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/DocumentosPreliminaresAromo.pdf\">4.5 kilowatt hours<\/a> of power per square metre, with higher peaks in March and April.<br \/>\n<div class='cdo-shortcode--image'><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_63334\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-63334\" style=\"width: 2000px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-63334 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/20230216_Local-people-in-El-Aromo_Jonathan-Palma-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Local people in El Aromo\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1127\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-63334\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">At least 700 people living in El Aromo expect to benefit from the photovoltaic plant (Image: Jonathan Palma)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><\/div><\/p>\n<p>The Spanish company will install solar panels on about 300 of the 1,200 hectares that were deforested more than a decade ago to build the refinery. On the site and other adjoining land, the company will also construct internal roads and all the infrastructure necessary for the plant to start generating and distributing energy. The Spanish company will also build an 8km transmission line to connect the plant to the state electricity grid, where the power will be supplied to Manta and the rest of the province.<\/p>\n<p>Although the plant will be built largely on land that had been earmarked for the Pacific Refinery, <a href=\"https:\/\/aeeree.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/DocumentosPreliminaresAromo.pdf\">project documents<\/a> suggest the use of natural areas and secondary forest is also contemplated. This situation is starting to worry residents and experts, who don\u2019t want to see a repeat of the mistakes of the past.<\/p>\n<h2>Environmental impacts<\/h2>\n<div class='cdo-shortcode--image'><\/p>\n<p><figure id=\"attachment_63337\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-63337\" style=\"width: 2000px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-63337 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/20230216_the-Pacoche-ecological-reserve_Jonathan-Palma-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"the Pacoche ecological reserve\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1328\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-63337\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">At the Pacoche ecological reserve, near the city of Manta, villagers claim that rainfall has decreased over the last ten years. (Image: Jonathan Palma)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n<p><\/div>\n<p>The construction of the refinery has had a marked <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eldiario.ec\/noticias-manabi-ecuador\/80576-la-refineria-en-el-aromo-la-inversion-o-la-ecologia\/\">impact<\/a> on the lives of the inhabitants of El Aromo and other areas. According to studies, deforestation, which can be easily seen in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/place\/Refineria+del+Pacifico\/@-1.0587066,-80.80496,23856m\/data=!3m1!1e3!4m6!3m5!1s0x902bfdff20857985:0xb700c46b0d01f33a!8m2!3d-1.0631261!4d-80.7805948!16s%2Fg%2F11q9qxpq6y\">satellite photos<\/a>, changed the microclimate of the area, reducing the mist which hung over the area in the afternoons as well as the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.elcomercio.com\/actualidad\/negocios\/impacto-refineria-ecosistema-pachoche-ambiente.html\">rainfall<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Carri\u00f3n insists that the current project is better managed. A complete project plan including a sustainability report is being sent to the Ministry of Finance for analysis and approval, as required by law before the contract is signed. Carri\u00f3n anticipates this will happen in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n<p>However, experts have called for more thorough analyses of the potential impacts of the new works. Gaspar Moreno, an agronomist from Manta who has conducted research on natural protected areas and ecosystem services in the province, says he has carried out an analysis showing temperature measurements increasing over 20 years.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have to be very attentive to what is done here, as the area is next to protected areas and there will definitely be an impact,\u201d he says. \u201cThe alteration of temperatures affects the hydrological systems, causing rivers to dry up.\u201d<br \/>\n<div class='cdo-shortcode--image'><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-63340 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/20230215_ecuador_solar_plant_map_EN.png\" alt=\"Ecuador solar plant map\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1277\"><\/div><\/p>\n<p>The area is the habitat of ocelots [medium-sized spotted wild cats], white-tailed deer, armadillos and peccaries [pig-like hoofed mammals], Moreno adds, but \u201cthe work done in this place has pushed them to new limits.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Natalia Greene, vice-president of the Ecuadorian Coordinating Committee of Organisations for the Defence of Nature and the Environment (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cedenma.org\/\">Cedenma<\/a>), also expressed concern about the impact of the new infrastructure: \u201dTo build a transmission line, they have to enter with trucks, they have to open roads. So they are affecting unspoilt areas and that has an environmental impact. You can say that eight kilometres is not much, but it affects the whole ecosystem that is removed to put up the towers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have to take into account that there are species that migrate or that have their biological corridors for feeding, reproduction, etc. When you disturb them, what you do is cut off those biological corridors, preventing species from migrating or adapting.\u201d She suggests that infrastructure should be built in areas that have already been cleared, where vegetation will not be affected.<\/p>\n<h2>Green attraction<\/h2>\n<p>El Aromo is part of Ecuador&#8217;s broader plan. It is the first step in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.recursosyenergia.gob.ec\/este-viernes-se-conocieron-las-ofertas-economicas-para-la-concesion-de-los-proyectos-eolico-villonaco-ii-y-iii-y-fotovoltaico-el-aromo\/\">campaign<\/a> that began in 2019 to attract foreign capital interested in financing renewable energy projects.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/drive.google.com\/file\/d\/1muFcLIjX-Dlm67gfrt4Vn21QaYvZ-vyv\/view?usp=sharing\">Records<\/a> show that companies from Canada, France, Korea and China <a href=\"https:\/\/www.recursosyenergia.gob.ec\/nueve-empresas-se-calificaron-para-el-desarrollo-de-los-proyectos-fotovoltaico-el-aromo-y-eolico-villonaco-ii-y-iii\/\">submitted proposals<\/a> for the El Aromo contract. Four Chinese companies were particularly interested: Harbin Electric International, Power China, Harbour Engineering Company and China Huadian.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_62120\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-62120\" style=\"width: 350px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-62120\" src=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Rooftop-solar-heating-on-social-housing-in-Rosario-Argentina_Celina-Mutti-Lovera_Dialogo-Chino-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A woman walks in the Godoy neighbourhood of Rosario, Argentina. Rooftop solar collectors on a housing project can be seen in the background\" width=\"350\" height=\"234\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-62120\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><strong>Read more: <a href=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/climate-energy\/62103-how-solar-power-could-help-fight-energy-poverty-in-argentina\/\">How solar power could help fight energy poverty in Argentina<\/a><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In 2021, the government of Ecuador opened a massive <a href=\"https:\/\/www.recursosyenergia.gob.ec\/ecuador-avanza-en-la-implementacion-de-un-bloque-de-energias-renovables-no-convencionales-de-500-megavatios\/\">bidding<\/a> process for renewable energy projects totalling 500 megawatts. Companies were free to propose projects based on their own assessment of the country\u2019s energy potential.<\/p>\n<p>State-owned China Huadian and other Chinese companies were expected to bid. In the event, however, only firms from France, Spain, Mexico and Ecuador submitted bids for the development of 10 projects.<\/p>\n<p>The announcement of the selected companies was scheduled for the first week of February, but so far the winners have not been announced. Di\u00e1logo Chino asked the Ministry of Energy when this information would become available but it was not forthcoming.<\/p>\n<p>Deputy Minister Carri\u00f3n confirmed that 37 companies participated in the process. She is excited about the expansion of renewable energy in the country: \u201cWe opened a request for 500 megawatts, but these 10 projects total 680 megawatts.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Juan Peralta, a professor at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Production Sciences at the Higher Polytechnic College of Littoral (ESPOL) and a specialist in renewable energies, says the country should look to develop a mix of technologies:&nbsp; \u201cSustainable energy should be promoted, not just solar power, but a variety of systems.\u201d In short, he says, it\u2019s about not putting all your eggs in one basket.<\/p>\n<p>Ecuador has opened its doors to renewable energy. After the failed dream of the Pacific Refinery, today the outlook is bright.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>But concerns abound that the new infrastructure could cause local rivers to dry up and disturb wildlife<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1072,"featured_media":50363331,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[757],"tags":[531,585,593],"hashtags":[],"country":[50002594],"class_list":["post-50363324","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-energy","tag-deforestation","tag-renewables","tag-solar","country-ecuador"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v26.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Failed refinery to become Ecuador\u2019s largest solar plant | Dialogue Earth<\/title>\n<meta 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