47.3 million lempiras to finance dendro-energy project in Honduras

Siguatepeque, November 7, 2016. - Adequate biodiversity management is a priority of Spain’s Debt Conversion Program to Honduras, which is administered by the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI). To that end, the Program will make an investment of 47.3 million lempiras for the implementation of the Project, "Implementation of a Dendro-Energy Program and Strengthening of the Research and Technology Transfer Laboratories at UNACIFOR."

With the execution of this project, Universidad Nacional de Ciencias Forestales (UNACIFOR) will contribute to the country’s sustainable development through the conditioning, equipment and organization of seven laboratories that will strengthen human capital research capacities through a specialization in dendro-energy; these aspects will further strengthen the new major denominated "Sustainable Renewable Energy Engineering."

Approximately 300 students per year, as well as teaching and administrative personnel, will directly benefit from the initiative. Indirectly, the initiative will benefit 900 thousand families that use biomass material for heat generation, in addition to industrial enterprises and investors with forest plantations certified by the Institute of Forest Conservation.

It is noteworthy that the actions executed through this program fall under the framework of the development policies of the Governments of Honduras and Spain, as well as under the Social Development axis of CABEI’s 2015-2019 Institutional Strategy, which is aimed at improving the quality of life of Central Americans.

Representatives from the governments of Honduras and Spain, as well as authorities from CABEI and UNACIFOR highlighted the importance of the Project, which will contribute to environmental protection by generating renewable energy and reducing the use of electricity. The project will also have a direct impact on Honduran education.