Guayaquil, August 18th, 2023.- Tía, the supermarket network with the widest nationwide coverage, officially opens its photovoltaic plant to remain at the forefront of innovation and continue to contribute to Sustainable Development Goal 13 (Climate Action) and Sustainable Development Goal 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy). After an exhaustive analysis by IDB Invest consultancy, the supermarket chain made an investment that amounts to US$1 million and the installation was carried out by the renowned Marriott Group. This important environmental project, located at the Regional Distribution Centre (CRD) in Calacalí - Quito, will reduce polluting emissions and replace them with renewable and clean alternatives, optimising the energy efficiency of operations by avoiding 804 tons of CO2 per year with an installed solar panel capacity of 1,075 kW. This innovative system is composed of 1,972 solar panels located on the logistics roof of the Distribution Centre, covers an area of 5,000 m² and is expected to generate 1,687 MWh per year, replacing the electricity consumption of its entire logistics operation for perishable and non-perishable goods. The plant has a useful life of 25 years, with a return on investment in 8 years and projected savings of $115,000 per year. The project had five phases, divided into 3 stages: engineering, construction and start-up. The engineering stage involved final designs, import processes and regulatory proceedings. The construction process started in September 2022 and installation was completed in June 2023. “Our operations in Calacalí Regional Distribution Centre allow us to reach 31 cities in the country, serving 80 branches and thousands of Ecuadorian homes, and the construction of this project generated more than 20 new indirect jobs. Tía is the first company to connect a 1 MW photovoltaic distributed generation system to the medium voltage grid, duly regularised by the distribution company Empresa Eléctrica Quito (EEQ)”, points out Francisco de Narváez, De Narváez Group President. The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that the company will annually reduce 804 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere, i.e. 1,688 barrels of oil that will no longer be used. This will reduce the environmental impact by avoiding emissions equivalent to 162 vehicles circulating for a year, the consumption of more than 82,000 gallons of gasoline or 88 million charges of a cell phone. In a context of climate crisis, Tía supports Ecuador leadership in the transition to clean and renewable energies to achieve progressive decarbonisation of the global economy.