Blue Dot Network Criteria: Relevant, Achievable, Aligned with International Standards

Results from the first four Blue Dot Network pilot programs show the proposed infrastructure certification criteria will help projects demonstrate alignment with quality and sustainability goals.  They are relevant, achievable, and support project efficiency and local development.

With technical support from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the four pilot projects performed well across all ten Blue Dot Network elements.  These elements align with and harmonize the many existing infrastructure standards and reflect measures that will help countries attain the UN Sustainable Development Goals, including reducing carbon emissions, promoting gender equality, improving health and well-being, and creating quality local jobs.  Blue Dot Network certification also aims to help quality projects attract private sector investment.

• Lagoa dos Ventos: When completed, this 1.5 GW wind farm developed by Enel in Brazil will be the largest in South America, bringing clean energy access to millions of people while supporting local economic development through jobs and training opportunities.
• Indonesia Green Data: A state-of-the-art green data center in Indonesia built by Microsoft showing how to minimize the environmental footprint of digital activities.
• Eurasia Tunnel: This 5.4 km road tunnel connecting the Asian and European continents under the seabed in the heart of Istanbul, Türkiye, is the first double deck roadway tunnel in the world.  Developed by Turkish Yapı Merkezi and South Korean SK Ecoplant, the tunnel will generate an estimated $4.1 billion in productivity savings over its lifetime while contributing to preserving the cultural heritage of a historic city.
• Aguas do Rio: A major water and sanitation project in Brazil developed by Aegea.  The project aims to improve the well-being of millions of Brazilians by increasing urban water supply coverage to 99% of the local population and sewage supply coverage to 90%, contributing to environmental restoration and creating thousands of local jobs.

Blue Dot Network certification will be a globally recognized symbol of quality, awarded to infrastructure projects that are open and inclusive, transparent, support the goals of the Paris Agreement on Climate, and are financially, socially, and environmentally sustainable.  The Blue Dot Network will also help attract private capital to developing and emerging economies via improved transparency.

For more information, see the Department’s Blue Dot Network website. For more details on some of the pilot projects, see this article on ShareAmerica.