The Argentine ambassador to China, Sabino Vaca Narvaja, assured that “fundamental steps” have been taken with the Chinese company in charge of the construction of the Presidente Néstor Kirchner and Gobernador Jorge Cepernic dams, in the south of the country.
“Thanks to the efforts between Argentina and China, the signing of a new financial addendum is imminent,” assured Vaca Narvaja at the meeting with the president of China Energy Engineering Corporation (CEEC); Song Hailian, according to the Argentine Embassy.
During the meeting, the Argentine ambassador explained that the financial addendum contemplates the additional costs motivated by changes in the initially planned design.
Along these lines, Vaca Narvaja affirmed that “together with the president of Energy China we have paved the way for the definitive construction of both dams; we are taking fundamental steps to give the project financial stability and guarantee the direct and indirect jobs generated by this important work for Argentina”.
The Embassy announced that with “this financial negotiation monitored by our highest authorities we will have significant progress in the coming weeks.”
On February 4, President Alberto Fernández will arrive in China as part of a visit to “accentuate trade”, as Foreign Minister Santiago Cafiero indicated when confirming the visit.
Within the framework of the new Integrated Five-Year Plan, which is being negotiated between Foreign Minister Santiago Cafiero and the National Development and Reform Commission with a view to the announced visit of President Alberto Fernández, new works may be promoted with China Energy, the Embassy indicated.
He added that the Secretary of Energy, led by Darío Martínez, and the IEASA State Company, led by Agustín Gerez, they are consolidating the Energy Plan that Argentina projects with China.
The project
The Integrated Five-Year Plan contemplates investments with the objectives of achieving a qualitative leap in the generation of energy and, at the same time, strengthen the diversification towards clean energies with a view to meeting the objectives imposed in terms of emission reduction.
The project, located in the province of Santa Cruz, has financing from China and aims to generate 1,310MW of totally clean energy.
In this sense, and “after the almost total paralysis that the works had during the previous administration, the national Government, through the Argentine Embassy in China, has assumed a firm commitment with a view to providing Argentina with the largest number of energy works possible,” the embassy said.
With China “we share a clear commitment to reduce emissions and transition to clean energy”, Vaca Narvaja said, adding that “the world’s leading companies in this area are located in that country and there is a great willingness to finance the projects that are needed to consolidate our development.”
He recalled that “this year we celebrate 50 years of diplomatic relations with China and we are taking giant steps in our relationship.”
“With the future adherence to the initiative and the Belt and Road we will have more financing to achieve more projects like this with a strong federal impact,” said the ambassador.
He stressed that “just two years ago these works were stopped and today they are back on track to continue contributing to our energy sovereignty,” he concluded.
