Govenor Das Neves presided the ceremony together with management that promised to invest more than 20 million dollars.

Accompanied by Rolando González Bunster, founder and controlling shareholder of the investment group; Michael Bax, group CEO and Esteban Reynal, President of Energía del Sur, Mario Das Neves, the Governor of the Province of Chubut presided the start-up of two generators of the Energia del Sur (EDS) electric power plant. Also present during the ceremony, were Minister Norberto Yauhar (the Governor’s Cabinet Coordinator), Martín Buzzi, (Minister of Production); Cristian Bork (Under-Secretary of Public Works); Mayor Raúl Simoncini; Deputy Mayor Gioino; Néstor Di Pierro ( President of the Petro-Mining company Petrominera S.E); and Directors of the Popular Cooperative Ltd, among others. The ceremony took place at the EDS plant where a tour of the Turbine Control Center and installed turbines (38 Mw each ) had been carried out previously.

“This is a very special and happy day for the Provincial State but fundamentally for all those that have commited and continue to commit to production, believing in this province, in this región, and in this country” said Das Neves. Later, remembering the situation of uncertainty that existed when he took office due to the lack of power generation, and in a zone that was pushing hard for reactivation, the Governor declared: “As there was no interest by the prívate sector, the government undertook all responsability, and when the time for definitions arrived, we received this new offer”.

“We have businessmen that have arrived in record time and what is for us fundamental, the honoring of commitments” he said. “We seek to improve the quality of life of our people, looking towards the future with optimism. We have to abandon the dense clouds of the past to begin seeing a clearer horizon” Das Neves said. Later, Esteban Reynal, Energia del Sur’s President, expressed: “we said that we expected to have one generator operating in two months and the second generator in six months, but as we increased the flow of investment , we are proud to say that in 90 days our two generators were operating”.

Rolando González Bunster, founder and controlling shareholder of Patagonia Energy (the investment group), referring to future investments said “ at this moment we are studying two possibilities: importing a generating unit from England together with one of the petroleum companies, and the other is analysing the installment of a combined cycle generator. In the upcoming months, we will have a positive alternative to present to the provincial government and see how we can jointly carry out a proposed investment that will exceed 20 million dollars”.