Shrimp sector electrification to improve competitiveness

Farmed shrimp harvest. (Photo: Instituto Nacional de Pesca)

ECUADOR  - The search for efficient and sustainable aquaculture through the Electrification Plan for the Shrimp Sector is the objective of the cooperation agreement signed by the Ministry of Aquaculture and Fisheries (MAP) and the Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy (MEER).

The program has been designed in order to support the improvement of the competitiveness of the agro-industrial sector, and contribute to the replacement of petroleum-based fuels for the generation of electric power.

Minister of Aquaculture and Fisheries Katuska Drouet assures that the change of the energy matrix in the shrimp sector will provide a series of benefits.

"Electrification will accelerate the process of electric aeration, automatic feeding, efficient pumping, technology for security and automated control of shrimp farms," ​s​he explained.

Other benefits of the plan are the increase of at least 30 per cent of the annual production of the sector and similar impact on exports as well as the reduction of at least 2 million tons of carbon footprints per year.

For his part, Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy Medardo Cadena said that the electrification plan of the shrimp sector, in which USD 200 million will be invested, aims to electrify over a period of four years approximately 100,000 hectares.