Scaling up of the GREENPYME Programme
The Inter-American Investment Corporation (IIC) is partnering with the Nordic Development Fund (NDF) to expand the successful GREENPYME programme to other countries in Latin America.
The GREENPYME II is intended as an expansion and scaling up of the ongoing GREENPYME programme. This would make it possible to launch similar activities in Bolivia and the Dominican Republic, and further strengthen the energy efficiency efforts in the two Central American countries, Honduras and Nicaragua.
The GREENPYME concept is based on effective dissemination of information about energy efficiency opportunities to all stakeholders concerned, including the banking sector, energy professionals, service providers, SMEs, producer associations, and policy makers. The programme can directly and through local financial institutions provide technical assistance and incentives to lower some of the main barriers that are standing in the way of scaling-up energy efficiency investments in SMEs. SMEs have shown a lot of interest to the services and incentives offered by the programme. Especially, the participation of the banking sector in the capacity building activities is expected to make a significant change.
SMEs play a critical role in economic development since they are the engine of economic growth providing employment and counting typically for about one third of GDP. The efficient use of energy is an opportunity for SMEs to save economic resources, make them more efficient in their productive processes, and have a positive impact on the environment. Energy efficiency is one of the most cost-effective and important tools to enhance the competitiveness of SMEs while simultaneously promoting economic growth and protecting the environment, both at the local and regional levels.
The GREENPYME II aims to restrain the growth of energy demand and thus decrease the need for additional capacity, which predominantly would be based on fossil fuels. The programme will thus mitigate climate change through the reduction of GHG emissions. It will also improve the energy security of the countries and allow energy resources and services to be distributed more evenly among the population.
