Awards developed with the Harvard Zofnass Program for Sustainable Infrastructure
BUSAN, Korea – Projects in Brazil, Chile, and Mexico have won the Infrastructure 360º Awards, which showcase leadership in climate and environment, social impact, governance and innovation.
Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) President Luis Alberto Moreno delivered the awards to three companies as part of the second annual ceremony of the Infrastructure 360º Awards, staged as part of the Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the IDB.
The EURUS Wind Farm project in Mexico was selected as the winner of the People and Leadership category. The Cerro Dominador Solar Concentration Plant in Chile won in the Climate and Environment category, and the Aquapolo Industrial Water Production Project in Brazil was named the winner of the overall Infrastructure 360º category, demonstrating the most comprehensive implementation of a sustainability strategy.
The IDB Private Sector Infrastructure Sustainability Awards, or the Infrastructure 360° Awards, seek to identify, assess, and reward sustainable infrastructure investments made by the private sector and public-private partnerships in the IDB´s 26 borrowing member countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Developed jointly with the Harvard Zofnass Program for Sustainable Infrastructure and managed by CG/LA Infrastructure, the Awards help underscore how sustainability can be integrated during the planning, design, construction, and operation of infrastructure projects. Eligible projects must have been under construction or in operation within the past three years, and have a total investment of $30 million or more.
“We must invest in sustainable infrastructure to meet the challenges of climate change and ensure socially inclusive growth in the region,” said Hans Schulz, IDB Vice Presidentfor Private Sector and Non-Sovereign Guaranteed Operations. “The Infrastructure 360º Awards recognize cutting-edge private sector sustainability efforts in this direction.”
Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore congratulated the awardees in a recorded message, noting, “Innovations in design and technology are revolutionizing the way engineers and architects think about infrastructure, allowing us to build a sustainable future that is a better future in every way.”
The awards initiative was launched in Panama in March 2013, and had its inaugural ceremony in March 2014 in Brazil.
In 2015, over 40 projects applied from ten countries in the telecommunications, energy, transport, water treatment and solid waste/sanitation sectors. Each project was submitted online through a self-evaluation tool developed by the Harvard Zofnass program.
The IDB announced the 12 finalists for the awards in September 2014. Each finalist submitted additional documents and materials that were reviewed by the Harvard Zofnass team, which then prepared a detailed assessment of each project for review by the nine-member panel of international experts that chose the winners.