The government delegate in Galicia, Pedro Blanco, encouraged the local entities of Galicia to request the aid of the Government of the second call for the improvement of the efficiency of public lighting, endowed with 155 million euros. He did so during a visit to the Concello de Ribas de Sil in which he was accompanied by its mayor, Roberto Castro, and the Government’s deputy delegate in Lugo, Isabel Rodríguez, and in which he pointed out that this aid “not only allows progress in the transformation of our peoples into more sustainable places, but that the savings achieved result in an improvement in the services provided to citizens.”
The delegate highlighted the government’s commitment to this green transition, “of which all administrations must be part, both large and small”. In this sense, he affirmed that the concellos count on the Government as an ally in this way, as demonstrated by the more than 170 million euros mobilized since 2018 by the Ministry for the Ecological Transition in Galicia through the Institute for Diversification and Energy Saving (IDAE) and that allowed, for example, to move the public lighting of Ribas de Sil for a more efficient one, with an investment of 207,270.09 euros. “They are funds that make possible actions that otherwise the municipalities could not undertake alone and that improve the lives of the people who live in them,” said the delegate.
Pedro Blanco explained that the second call for the program of aid for singular projects of renovation of the municipal outdoor lighting facilities that comes from the IDAE is directed to concellos, provincial deputations, communities, local groups or other public entities that manage this public service.
The program, which already left more than 8.5 million euros in aid in Galicia in its first edition, consists of a line of interest-free loans and commissions of up to 10 million euros per beneficiary that can be requested until March 20, 2025. They will be used to finance the replacement of lighting equipment by higher-performance luminaires, by higher-efficiency light sources and/or by electronic regulation and control equipment with the aim of reducing energy consumption and reducing light pollution.
“I encourage all the Galician concellos and institutions not to miss this unique opportunity to continue advancing in the common objective of making our villas the best place for the people who inhabit them,” concluded the delegate.
During his stay in Ribas de Sil, the delegate congratulated Roberto Castro on his recent appointment and offered him the collaboration of the Government to carry out the projects of the Concello.