Government Proposes
Removing Energy
Production Caps
Costa rica's Asemblea
Legislativa (Legislative
Assembly) is considering
a bill proposed by the
Arias government to
eliminate caps on
electrical production by
regional producers. The
move is intended to
allow the supply of
electrical power keep
pace with growing
demand.
Four regional
co-operatives -
Coopesantos,
Coopeguanacaste,
Coopealfaro Ruiz and
Coopelesca - are
espected to benefit from
the change in
legislation. In
addition, the Empresa de
Servicios Publicos de
Heredia (ESPH) and the
Junta Administrativa Del
Servicio Electrico
Municipal De Cartago (JASEC).
The new legislation
would reform the Law of
the Participation of
Electrification
Cooperatives and
Municipal Public Service
Businesses that went
into effect in 2003,
where regional utilities
can only produce a
maximum of 15% of the
total national
electrical production.
All other production
comes from the Instituto
Costarricense de
Electricidad (ICE), the
state owned electricity
and telecommunications
monopoly.
According to ICE's
spokesperson Elbert
Durán, regional
producers accounted for
7.34% or 8.889 Gigawatts
hours of production in
2007.
In 2008, ICE is expected
to spend us$220 million
dollars on diesel and
bunker fuel to keep the
thermal power plants
running that make up the
full production of the
mostly hydro generated
infrastructure.
Critics say the
restrictions have kept
the nations power
infrastructure from
expanding to keep pace
with demand. |
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