| 30 Jul 2010 |
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Spain gives $10 million for solar power heating in hospitals
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30 July 2010
SIDON: Lebanon’s first project for solar power heating at government hospitals was launched in Sidon on Thursday, with the cooperation of the Spanish Embassy.
The project was dubbed “Solar Hot Water Projects on Government Hospitals” and the inaugural ceremony was held at the Sidon Hospital, where solar panels were installed to provide the institution with hot water.
Spanish Ambassador to Lebanon Juan Carlos Gafo was present at the event, together with Abdo al-Tayar who represented Energy and Water Minister Gibran Bassil, Bahij Arbid who represented Public Health Minister Mohammed Jawad Khalifeh, and CEO of the Sidon Hospital, Ali Abdel-Jawad.
The inaugurated project was the first of its kind in a Lebanese governmental hospital, and formed part of the Country Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Demonstration Project for the Recovery of Lebanon (CEDRO).
CEDRO is managed by the United Nations Development Program and the Lebanese government, and is funded by a $9.73 million donation from the Spanish government and by the Lebanon Recovery Fund. It aims at reforming the energy sector through promoting renewable energy in public administrations and institutions.
Abdel Jawad explained the importance of the solar power heating initiative and its benefits for government hospitals on both the financial and environmental levels.
“The bill for lubricants purchased to heat water will decrease by about 50 percent … this is very important for public hospitals,” he said. “If we take into consideration the environmental disasters in Sidon, we can tell that the city is an important chapter of Lebanon’s environment story,” he added.
Abdel-Jawad went on to stress the eco-friendly measures the Sidon Hospital has taken so far, such as sorting medical waste and respecting international standards.
“The hospital is also studying a project to rationalize energy consumption with the help of the Lebanese Center for Power Rationalizing,” he added.
He said Lebanon needed to benefit from its many renewable energy resources. “The project to use renewable energy is part of the aid presented by Spain to Lebanon after the 2006 summer war,” he then noted.
The inauguration ceremony also included a presentation of various CEDRO achievements.
The CEDRO project works on three levels. The first involves the establishment of a demonstrative model addressing public-sector building and facilities; the second tackles the activation of the replication process; and the third aims at triggering of a national sustainable energy strategy and action plan.
It is considered by the Spanish Embassy to be a joint achievement with Lebanon and a symbol of Spain’s commitment to Lebanon’s development. “My country is determined to preserve energy because it is a vital factor for the future,” Gafo said.
© Copyright The Daily Star 2010.
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