Regulating Authority
Ok's ICE To Purchase
Energy From Private
Suppliers
The Autoridad Reguladora
de los Servicios
Públicos (Aresep) -
regulating authority -
has given the Instituto
Costarricense de
Electricidad (ICE) the
green light to purchase
electrical energy from
private producers.
The Aresep decision is
clear that any such
purchase from private
suppliers must be energy
that is derived from
wind, water, geothermic
or organic waste.
According to the Aresep,
the objective is to
reduce the dependency of
the country of
electricity produced
from oil, which is more
expensice and
contaminates the
environment.
The decision will help
the state institution to
face off any possible
electricity shortage for
the coming dry season or
summer.
ICE needs to generate
some 200 Megawatts more
than its current
capacity to avoid
rationing and power
shortages of this year.
The additional energy
will be supplied by 28
private companies that
sell power to ICE as
permitted under Ley 7200
which is in effect since
the 1990's.
According to the Aresep
decision, the Ley 7200
sets out that each
private supplier can
only generate a maximum
of 20 Megawatts, the
reason, according to an
Aresep explanation, was
to give ICE the ability
to purchase small
amounts of power from
private sources to meet
local shortages.
To stimulate the
construction of new
electrical generating
plants, the Aresep also
announced a new tariff
system, saying the
current system is not an
incentive for ICE to
build more generating
plants.
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