The City of Laredo and AEP Texas announced last week that conversion of existing street lights to LED lighting is essentially complete. The announcement marked the installation of approximately 12,000 LED streetlights throughout the city over the past two years.
The City and AEP Texas made the announcement during a joint press conference held March 2 at the Laredo Public Library. Laredo is the first city within the AEP Texas service territory to complete the conversion process.
Assistant City Manager Riazul I. Mia noted that the city approved the LED conversion project in April 2021. "The conversion illustrates the power of collaboration," he said. "I commend AEP Texas for helping promote the conversion to higher efficiency energy efficient street lighting."
LED lighting typically use approximately 50 percent less energy than traditional bulbs and last around 4 times longer.
AEP Texas External Affairs Manager Tony Arce, Jr., said there are a few individual locations where conversion is pending due to new developments and final surveys. Conversion of street lights at these locations will be addressed during the next phase of the overall large scale lighting project. This next phase will focus on conversion to LED lighting in Laredo's city parks and other targeted buildings owned by the city.
"AEP Texas applauds the City of Laredo for its commitment to energy efficiency," Arce said. "We look forward to continuing our efforts to jointly identify additional energy efficiency projects that can be implemented and save energy."
