The Government **of Santa Fe** is moving forward with a plan focused on clean energies in public buildings with massive use. In this line, they aim to reduce energy consumption in operating rooms of two hospitals by **40%**.
This concerns the **Centenario Hospital**, located in Rosario, and the **José MarÃa Cullen Hospital**, in Santa Fe. What does the project consist of and how will it be financed?
## Sante Fe: seeking to drastically reduce energy consumption in operating rooms ##
In recent days, a delegation from the **French Development Agency** (**AFD**), which will finance the project, visited both health centers.
The idea was to seek **energy efficiency and repurpose** sectors of the hospital buildings with structural works, which will allow **reducing consumption by almost half**.
Officials from the **Ministries of Health, Economy, and Productive Development of the Province** were present.
In both cases, the improvements must be planned in buildings that are over **100 years old**. “They require structural adaptations, replacement of openings, and new air conditioning technologies,” the secretary emphasized.
Furthermore, with the support of the international organization and the savings that the operating room reforms would generate, **specific interventions** could be planned in other sectors.
For example, to adapt spaces such as **locker rooms and bathrooms** to usage forms that respect the **gender perspective**, prioritized by the Agency for credit granting.
## A loan is expected ##
In this regard, the Third-Level Care Secretary of the Ministry of Health, **César Pauloni**, pointed out that the two hospitals were toured to establish an action plan. This in the context of an audit carried out by the AFD to evaluate the **granting of a loan**.
“They are closed areas, of **critical care**, which along with diagnostic imaging areas, have a higher potential for consumption, mainly of electrical energy, and that is why they also tend to generate more environmental waste and greenhouse gases,” Pauloni explained.
Being closed areas, with greater control power, “they also have greater potential to achieve the goals set by this efficiency project”.
The Subsecretary of Renewable Energies of the Ministry of Productive Development, **Cecilia Mijich**, added that they aim to “**set an example from the State**”, make resources more efficient.
And “prioritize the care of the people of Santa Fe in terms of public health”.
“We will work hard to have two model hospitals, not only for their level of intervention but also for the **responsibility when consuming energy and improving the environment**,” concluded.
Following this technical visit to the health facilities, Pauloni indicated that they are working on contingency plans to see “**how each hospital will respond** and the health network as a whole” to ensure care during the works.
Attending the meetings in Santa Fe and Rosario were the PEEB Cool Coordinator of the French Development Agency Paris, **Silvia Puddu**; the Project Manager in Argentina, **Tomás Le Louarn**; the Project Manager of the Agency, **David Tauss**; the energy project manager, **Gabriel Clautiuax**; and **Jeremy Frere-López**, specialist in Energy and Sustainability.
Also present were the Director of the Economic Cooperation and External Financing Agency of the Ministry of Economy, **Gonzalo Saglione**; and the Project Execution Coordinator of that area, **Gabriel Rosti**; the Subsecretary of Third-Level Health of the Ministry of Health, **Patricia Morales**; and the Director of Hospital Processes, **Sebastián Nicolas**.
The management teams and members of the Boards of Directors were present.
