Sowing Gas project hands over works in El Alto financed by CAF, CEDES, GTZ, YPFB, and Transredes

(La Paz, March 5, 2007).- An internal natural gas installation was opened today in Cuerpo de Cristo school with the handover of four showers, water heater, an oven, and a kitchen as part of the Sowing Gas project in Bolivia. The project is a corporate social responsibility initiative with the participation of Andean Development Corporation (CAF), the Business Council for Sustainable Development (CEDES Bolivia), German Technical Cooperation (GTZ), Transredes, Yacimientos Petrolíferos Fiscales Bolivianos (YPFB), and school boards.

This is the eighth school to benefit in the third stage of Sowing Gas in Bolivia. The project will directly benefit over 100,000 local children and young people through installation of gas connections in 100 schools in an effort to improve the quality of life of thousands of families in El Alto city, La Paz department, as a contribution to Bolivian development.

The opening event took place in the presence of CAF representative José Carrera; national director of YPFB Natural Gas Department Alejandro Rey; and representatives of GTZ, CEDES Bolivia, the local government, school boards, as well as students and parents.

Parents participate in the project by helping to excavate the trench in the public highway for interconnection with the secondary network. When the work is completed, the parents are also responsible for replacing the soil.

The YPFB state company extends the secondary network and installs a connection, as well as supervising the internal installation of natural gas by microenterprise installers.

The contribution of CAF, CEDES BOLIVIA, GTZ, and Transredes is to finance the cost of the civil works, equipment and management of execution of the project.

The time from the signing of the inter-institutional agreement between YPFB and the school board to handing over the works averages three weeks. Along with the project, awareness workshops are held for students, teachers and parents on Bolivia’s hydrocarbon resources, differences between liquid and natural gas, use and abuse of gas, industrial safety, benefits of natural gas, hygiene, health and environment.