AYSA launches energy and water supply efficiency projects

Argentine state-owned water distributor AYSA is working to improve its infrastructure to reduce water loss within its networks in Buenos Aires province and improve energy efficiency at its pumping stations and deep wells.

The company will replace aging networks to reduce leaks in all its service areas, expecting to benefit about 312,000 people in the Greater Buenos Aires area.

The project will focus on rebuilding the final stretch of household connections in lower-income neighborhoods, which are often poorly constructed and end up losing water, a source close to the company tells BNamericas.

AYSA plans to increase the extension of its potable water and sewage networks to be able to provide access to some 140,000 people who currently lack these services. The company is also looking to improve its drainage systems in the 20 municipalities of Greater Buenos Aires where it currently operates.

“In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is an urgent need to increase efforts to ensure universal access to water and sanitation networks, as well as adequate housing, for the most vulnerable populations," said Jordan Schwartz, director of the World Bank for Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, when announcing the entity's support for the works.

AYSA will also implement an energy efficiency program to improve energy consumption management in at least three of its pumping stations and deep wells.

Although it has not yet finished outlining the total scope of the project, the company is seeking to generate at least 1MW of electricity through the installation of solar panels and storage batteries at its facilities in order to supply energy to the lighting system of the plants, a second source close to AYSA tells BNamericas.

The state-owned firm needs to finish the environmental impact study before making a decision about the places where the program will be carried out. This will serve as the first stage of a more ambitious self-generation program that the firm plans to implement.

AYSA will also implement a digital transformation with the aim of strengthening its capacity to involve citizens and to have a digital strategy that facilitates two-way engagement.

All of the programs will be financed through a US$300mn, 32-year loan with a seven-year grace period from the World Bank, which the company hopes to sign on March 22, according to the first source.