Finland encourages alternative energy
It’s a nation that is virtually unknown to Belizeans and most other Central Americans…but Finland may figure prominently in the region’s future. That’s the word emerging from a two-day forum on renewable energy that has attracted an impressive collection of participants. Patrick Jones reports.
Patrick Jones, Reporting
The Central American technocrats gathered at the Radisson are all looking for the same thing… funding for environmentally friendly power projects.
Johnny Briceño, Minister of Environment
“During the next two days presentations will be made by our partners of Finland and other regional and international organisations on initiatives in renewable energy. Vital information will be shared on existing technologies and perspectives, and on the ever important subject of available financial resources and mechanisms that will facilitate the opportunities to invest in these projects.”
Chairman of the two-day forum, Belize’s Minister of the Environment Johnny Briceño, set the tone for the deliberations when he suggested that strategic alliances are the way to go for disadvantaged nations.
Johnny Briceño, Minister of Environment
“For a small region such as Central America with small economies, we are the first affected by this global energy crisis primarily associated with the use of fossil fuels. However, the Central American region has great potential for the rational use of its abundant renewable energy resources: water, bio mass, wind, geo thermal and solar energy, a sector that we have yet to fully explore and develop.”
But even though environment and development don’t always co-exist in harmony, Central American nations including Belize are depending on a partnership with Finland to explore the possibilities. General Director of the Finnish Ministry of the Environment says as a leader in the use of renewable energy his country is willing to lend a helping hand. And to show its commitment, Finland had already put up three million Euros to support projects that utilise alternative sources of energy that are less taxing on the environment.
Markku Nurmi, General Dir., Finnish Min. of Environment
“But we regard this as only seed money that we can attract partners, real investors and financers to make it done. So we are not gong to finance all of that. And for instance, in the case of the container test system, the company is paying it, we are not going to put any money, but we are just organising it because we have very good connections with the governments of the countries, so we can help and do things which otherwise would cost a lot to make a consultation to do. So try to cooperate with normal organisations in countries and not to create extra organisation. We just help you to do that.”
Nurmi says that from what he has seen so far, Belize stands a good chance to tap into funding from Finland for at least one project that has realistic and commercial potential.
Markku Nurmi
“Of course the biggest single unit is you sugar factory. And I see there is lot of potential to use bagasse as fuel, and you can get a win-win situation because there is a huge bagasse mountain that is also causing problems to the water and emitting methane to the air. You can burn that as fuel, and also in some other bagasse factory that I have seen its problem, they are running only half a year so they don’t have fuel for the second half. You have this bagasse mountain for many years. That can be used also.”
Nurmi says an experimental testing laboratory will be brought to Central America from Finland in December and Belize is one of the likely destinations for the mobile unit. Patrick Jones for News 5.
