Nicaragua to Continue
Energy Rationing
Nicaragua's
electro-energy system
registered a deficit of
110 megawatts on
Thursday, which means
that 12-hour power cuts
will continue, an
official source said.
Rationing will continue
with a slight
improvement expected to
start over the weekend,
with an additional 50 mw
from one of two units
undergoing repairs,
Nicaraguan Electricity
Company CEO Ernesto
Martinez said on TV
Channel 4.
Martinez described
yesterday's 150 mw power
deficit as "completely
abnormal" in a country
that demands nearly 500
mw per hour.
He warned, though, that
power outages will
continue during the
months of July, August
and September, as the
two sugar mills which
generate electricity
from biomass will not
start producing until
October.
Nicaragua's Energy
Institute, a control
entity, has recommended
a cut in working hours
in public institutions
to reduce the impact of
power rationing on the
national economy.
The crisis, worsened
since mid-2006, stems
from the poor condition
of thermal plants,
mostly in private hands,
and obvious problems of
distribution, in charge
of Spanish multinational
Union Fenosa.
The Government expects
to solve the crisis by
the first quarter of
2008, with 90 mw more
from power plants
supplied by Cuba,
Venezuela and Taiwan. |
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