ICE Asks For 15%
Electricity Rate
Increase
Increases in the cost of
services and goods
continue with the latest
announcement by the
Instituto Costarricense
de Electricidad (ICE)
asking for an increase
the price of electrical
services for an eight
month period.
The increase is allow
the state institution to
recover a lost o ¢50
billion colones due to
the rise in fuel prices
it uses to power the
thermal plants,
according to Francisco
Garro, director of
electrical services for
ICE.
If approved by the
Autoridad Reguladora de
Serviciso Públicos (Aresep),
the increase would be in
two parts: an increase
of 11.34% to be applied
to all utility bills
between October and
December 2008; and a 15%
increase on all bills
between January and May
2009.
The increases are based
on the latest approved
increase that went into
effect last April, when
ICE got the nod for a
11% hike in rates for
the majority of
customers and up to 70%
for high energy
consumers.
Garro explained that the
constant increases (in
fuel prices) are
negatively impacting
ICE's financial
situation.
Many Costa Ricans are
concerned that the
latest increase is just
one more that is making
daily life more and more
difficult.
This year have been
constant increases in
the cost of gasoline,
food prices have
continually gone up, bus
and taxi fares are
higher and the increases
in salaries just aren't
keeping up.
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