The German company, Sectag specializing in RFID technology, offers to donate the led lights needed to light up the Columbus burial monument in eastern Santo Domingo.
The Columbus Lighthouse in eastern Santo Domingo was designed to project a gigantic cross in the sky. Nevertheless, the high cost of the luminaries and their consumption of power has kept the lights off.
The announcement of better times ahead for the Columbus Lighthouse was made by Eliezer Nolasco, director of the Columbus Lighthouse. Present were Culture Minister Carmen Heredia and Deputy Minister for Cultural Heritage Gamal Michelen, the first official of the German Embassy Katherine Werdermann and German businessman Soheil Hamedani for Sectag.
A press release from the Ministry of Culture explains that the rewiring of the entire monument would be necessary to install the new led lights. These will have twice the power of the previous ones, but guarantee 90% savings in energy consumption.
The works would be completed in time for Columbus Day on 12 October. The event coincides with the 29th anniversary of the inauguration of the Columbus Lighthouse.
Vice Minister Gamal Michelén said that the turning back on of the lights of the Columbus Lighthouse on 12 October will be a symbolic act. “It means there is a light of hope. A real possibility that we are going to live in a better world,” he said.
What is contemplated is the renovation of the lighting system on the roof of the building that projects the cross. The budget for the project is RD$200 million. If the budget can be stretched, the Ministry of Culture says the interior lighting would also be renovated.
The German company also commits to train the Ministry of Culture technicians in the proper maintenance of the new lighting system.
The Columbus Lighthouse was inaugurated on 6 October 1992 to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ arrival to the island. It is a structure in the shape of a Latin cross, almost 240 meters long and 60 meters wide at its widest part.
The monument, built in reinforced concrete and marble, is more than 30 meters high. The monument was built to project a large luminous cross into the night sky that can be seen from dozens of kilometers away, thanks to more than 150 high-capacity spotlights installed on the roof of the lighthouse. The spotlights would be replaced by more powerful and efficient lighting technology.
Read more in Spanish:
El Nuevo Diario
Sectag
22 April 2021