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Panama switches on to energy-saving light bulbs

Reuters    Translate This Article
2 September 2008

PANAMA CITY (Reuters) - Panama plans to hand out 6 million energy-saving light bulbs, nearly two per citizen, to ease soaring demand for electricity and prevent future blackouts, President Martin Torrijos said on Monday.

'Operation Light Bulb' will require the government to buy $13 million worth of fluorescent energy-saving bulbs replacing the less-efficient incandescent ones.

Following similar programs in Cuba, Venezuela, Europe and Australia, Torrijos said savings from the new bulbs would equate to constructing a 60-megawatt power plant for a tenth of the price.

In recent years Panama's energy providers have struggled to keep pace with demand caused by the country's rapid economic growth, as Panamanians buy more electrical goods.

In May, Panama City was hit by a series of electricity blackouts as demand peaked.

Panama says it is building 15 energy generation facilities to provide an additional 745 megawatts to the national grid from around 2012.

The first batch of 3 million light bulbs will arrive in Panama later this month and will be distributed for free in poor suburbs of Panama City.

(Reporting by Andrew Beatty; Editing by Matthew Lewis)

Copyright 2008 Reuters. Reprinted with permission from Reuters. Reuters content is the intellectual property of Reuters or its third party content providers. Any copying, republication or redistribution or Reuters content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. Reuters and the Reuters Sphere Logo are registered trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world. For additional information about Reuters content and services, please visit Reuters website at www.reuters.com. License # REU-4198-JJM.



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