- With an investment of around COP 3,400 million in 2016, CODENSA provided energy to 400 families in rural areas in the department of Cundinamarca, which previously did not have this.
- The main regions that have seen the benefits from the project are Ubaté, Almeidas, Sabana and Tequendama.
- The Company’s goal is to bring energy to 1,600 more homes in 2017.
By connecting 40 kilometers of electricity networks, installing 600 new poles and investing more than COP 3,400 million, CODENSA brought electricity to 400 family homes in Cundinamarca in 2016.
This work is part of the Cundinamarca at 100% project, whose goal is, in the next 5 years, to bring electricity to more than 8,500 rural homes, which currently do not have coverage, especially because of being located in geographically isolated areas or areas that are difficult to access. In 2017, CODENSA expects to reach 1,600 more homes.
Cundinamarca at 100% is part of the Enel Group’s commitment, to which CODENSA belongs, to implement programs that improve access to electricity in the home. Along with the United Nations’ goal of sustainable development, the aforementioned refers to more families gaining access to this service. It is estimated that, with the Enel Group’s initiatives, more than 3 million people will benefit in Latin America, Africa and Asia by 2020.
CONVENTIONAL NETWORKS, SOLAR PANELS AND MICRO GRIDS
Considering the difficulties that connecting new families located in remote areas in Cundinamarca implies, CODENSA will use three different energy strategies, depending on the needs of each case: connection to conventional networks, installation of solar panels and use of micro grids.
Connecting to conventional networks consists of installing new transmission lines, poles and transformers, with the goal of providing electricity from pre-existing substations to the new homes. In turn, installing solar panels lies in the use of technological devices that capture energy from solar radiation in order to produce domestic electricity through many solar cells that convert light into energy. Finally, using micro grids consists of dynamic integration of different technological developments for generation, transmission, distribution and storage of electricity.
TESTIMONIALS FROM BENEFICIARIES
Marco Caicedo and Ilba Pinzón, beneficiaries from Cundinamarca at 100%: “Thanks to the electricity, now we have a milking system in our house. Now our children are happy to come to the countryside because we have electricity, so adjusting from the city to the countryside is not as difficult as before.”
Pedro Ignacio Patiño, beneficiary from Cundinamarca at 100%: “Before I had to go to my neighbor’s to have electricity. We live close to the highway and security has improved a lot. My day has gotten a little bit longer, and I can work more. Without electricity, I lived in a totally different world. Only a person who did not have electricity and now does can talk about how incredible this service is.”
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ABOUT THE ENEL GROUP – CODENSA
CODENSA is part of the Enel Group, a multinational energy company and one of the main operators with global integration in the sector of electricity and gas. The Group operates in more than 30 countries from four continents, producing energy through installed net capacity around 83 GW and distributing electricity and gas to a network of around 2 million kilometers. With more than 65 million users in the world, the Enel Group has the largest client base compared to its European competitors. The Enel Group is the biggest integrated utility in Europe due to market capitalization, and it is among the main electricity companies in Europe in terms of installed capacity and reported EBITDA.
Codensa S.A. ESP is a distribution and electric energy sales company, as well as a leader in the market, with more than 3,200,000 clients distributed in Bogotá, in 116 municipalities of Cundinamarca, six in Boyacá, four in Tolima and three in Meta. Established in 1997, Codensa has an installed capacity of 10.633 MVA (megavolt amperes) along 69,821 kilometers of high, medium and low voltage networks. The Company generates around 8,000 jobs both directly and indirectly in the country.