The presentation of the results of the Useful Energy Balance (BEU) for the industrial, residential, transport, commercial, services and public sectors of the Republic of Panama was held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Panama City on 21, 22 and 2023. This event was organized by the National Energy Secretariat of Panama and the Latin American Energy Organization (OLADE).
Jorge Rivera Staff, National Secretary of Energy of Panama, expressed his gratitude for the collaboration of OLADE and stressed that the Useful Energy Balance is a crucial tool that will enhance and strengthen decision-making in the energy transition agenda. He pointed out that this tool will be key to promoting issues such as electrification, steadily and continuously advancing the quality of the energy system.
During his speech, Medardo Cadena, Director of Studies, Projects and Information of OLADE, explained the barriers that the project had to face for its implementation. He stressed the importance of remembering that at the beginning of the project, the world was going through a pandemic that restricted mobilization in most countries. However, the challenge of structuring survey teams was assumed and the results for Panama were presented. In addition, he highlighted the special conditions of Panama, where the commercial, service and public sectors represent a significant percentage of energy consumption, so it was decided to include them at the request of the National Energy Secretariat of Panama.
Panama was selected together with Ecuador and Paraguay for the execution of the Project. As part of the launch of the Useful Energy Balance, training and knowledge transfer sessions were held on the methodology and resources used. These sessions were aimed at technicians from institutions linked to energy planning and statistics and were led by the technical team of Fundación Bariloche.
The BEU provides detailed information on consumption by subsectors, uses and technologies, offering in-depth knowledge on energy needs and the efficiency with which available energy is consumed. In addition, it is a fundamental tool for the design of public policies and the planning of the energy sector, being an essential input for energy prospective studies.
This study will be of great value for the management of the country’s National Energy Policy, as well as for the formulation of measures and plans in the field of energy efficiency and sustainable development of the sector.
The BEU was executed under the coordination and technical assistance of OLADE, with support and monitoring from the National Energy Secretariat of Panama, and financing from the European Union within the framework of the EUROCLIMA Program, under the direction of the AECID and the Agence française de développement en América Latina (AFD).
Communications and Institutional
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josefa.corral@olade.org
