Benidorm begins in Severo Ochoa the improvements of the second phase of the IDAE program, with the change of lampposts and luminaires

The second phase of the Energy Efficiency project, 50% co-financed with European funds, continues to be developed according to the established deadlines and now the improvements foreseen in the award of this stage of the program have begun to be carried out. Specifically, on Avenida Severo Ochoa and for this reason, the councilors for Public Space and Citizen Participation, José Ramón González de Zárate and Ana Pellicer visited the neighborhood yesterday accompanied by the vice president of the Neighborhood Council, Antonio Zamora, residents of the area and municipal technicians.

González de Zárate explained that in this second phase "some 600 luminaires have already been installed in Subzone C, which is practically finished" and that action is also being taken on streets such as Esperanto, Ibiza or Cuenca "until a total of 3,512 points of light and 55 command centers of this phase”.

In the case of Severo Ochoa, the mayor specified that the installation of the luminaires coincides with other actions such as the Interior Reform Plan (PRI) of the Levante Hospital or the renovation of the Severo Ochoa sidewalk from Benidorm Palace to Ametlla de Mar " where the aerial telecommunications wiring, which gave a bad image, is also being removed and improvements in accessibility are being made”.

This section is where the improvements offered by the winning bidder are carried out so that all the lampposts and luminaires will be replaced to install new ones.

"We are spending the rest in the Rincón de Loix and in this avenue, which is the main entrance to the city through this area," said the councilor, who also advanced that "in just over a month everything will be completed."

However, González de Zárate clarified that "the only problems we find are related to the lack of supply, so as the material arrives, it is installed." In this sense, he clarified that by Easter "without problems" the second phase of the IDAE will be finished "by 80% and in the absence of some small fringes such as some wiring and small improvement works."

The Benidorm City Council awarded the second phase of the Energy Efficiency Project for an amount of 2,527,730.45 euros, a phase that corresponds to the renewal of the lighting in the Levante area and the intervention on 3,512 light points and 55 centers control, which means renewing 43.85% of the 7,660 light points that exist in the area. This will allow the installed power to be reduced from 759.59 kW to 195.01 kW.

The award, like the first phase, fell to the company Sociedad Ibérica de Construcciones Eléctricas S.A. (SICE), which also offered an economic reduction percentage of 43.4% and committed to the installation of a hundred hybrid photovoltaic lighting points.

The estimated energy savings, according to the Councilor for Public Space "reaches up to 79%" and the luminaires "also have a remote management system to change the intensity and power of the lights when necessary."

González de Zárate reiterated that the Energy Efficiency project "is very ambitious and will make Benidorm a more sustainable city and destination". In addition, he recalled that with it "we follow the 2030 Agenda, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and working side by side with municipal technicians so that this important political vocation translates into realities for the people of Benidorm."

He also insisted that long before the government implemented the energy-saving plan “we had already started this commitment to energy efficiency. Since 2015, we have implemented savings and renewal policies that have given us magnificent results, as demonstrated by the continuous reduction in energy and electricity costs in these years despite the brutal increase in cost”.

Project details

The global Energy Efficiency project, for the supply and installation of 'led' luminaires and their regulation and control, represents an investment of 6,014,578.57 euros. Just over 2 million were allocated to the first phase.

The investment is 50% financed by the City Council and by the Institute for Energy Diversification and Saving (IDAE), which granted Benidorm a grant for the development of the project 3,007,289.28 euros from European funds.

The project is operating in 7,808 light points of the 14,343 in the municipality, 54.44% of the municipal lighting, and will reach all neighborhoods. Throughout the project, work will be done on the first line of Levante and Poniente, in the Ensanche de Levante, Colonia Madrid, Casco Antiguo, Centro, Calvari, La Cala, Els Tolls, Rincón de Loix, the main accesses to the city, Salt de l'Aigua, Alfredo Corral, around Vía Parque, Finca Barrina, Mercasa, Guillermo Amor Sports City and Parque de l'Aigüera, among others.