The electricity company AES El Salvador announced yesterday that during 2023 it will make an investment of $52 million in the country through its distributors AES CAESS, AES CLESA, AES EEO, and AES DEUSEM.
According to Daniel Bernárdez, vice president of operations at AES, these funds are part of the firm’s investment plan for the five-year period 2023–2027, which amounts to $217 million.
Of the total amount for this year, $37 million will be destined for the improvement and expansion of the electrical distribution system, as well as the development of conversion projects from aerial to underground networks; the remaining $15 million will be used to modernize and further integrate digitization, technology, and automation into its technical operations and business management.
“We are investing in the improvement and expansion of our traditional electrical network, such as poles, transformers. In addition, we are integrating state-of-the-art technology into all our operations,” said Bernárdez.
Bermúdez explained that between 2016 and 2022, AES invested $284.3 million. The executive pointed out that until 2020, this capital was designated only for infrastructure initiatives; however, since 2021, the company has decided to bet more strongly on innovation, allocating a specific budget for digitization.
“Today, 60% of our interactions or transactions with customers are through digital means. We are committed to innovation and digitization of the company and our processes,” he said.
Projects for 2023
AES El Salvador serves 1.55 million users in the country, which represents 77% of the national demand. In addition, it has 19,912 kilometers of medium-voltage lines.
In this context, Fabio Aragón, director of network planning and investments, specified that in 2023, the company will seek to improve and extend its networks. For this, it plans to invest more than $12 million in the maintenance of electrical energy distribution lines.
“More than 4,000 kilometers of network will receive maintenance and we will be replacing 62,000 meters. Also, we are building new substations to have more capacity and meet the recent demand”, he said.
Aragón also specified that $1.6 million will be used for the electrification of new sectors, including spaces in rural areas, which is intended to benefit more than 5,000 customers. With this and other initiatives, they plan to connect around 45,000 new customers this year.
At the same time, an investment of $3 million is planned for the conversion of aerial to underground networks in the Historic Center of San Salvador, as well as in works in the west and in Surf City 2 in the east.
On the other hand, the energy company plans to increase its fleet of electric vehicles in 2023 and reach 27 cars with 50 charging stations. They are also looking to build new smart grids.
