ICE Says It Need A Rate
Hike To Keep The Lights
On Next Year
Costa Rica may be in the
dark if the Autoridad
Reguladora de los
Servicios Públicos (Aresep)
does not approve a 15%
hike in electrical rates
before the end of the
year, say officials of
the Instituto
Costarricense de
Electricidad (ICE).
ICE says that the ¢86
billion colones budgeted
for this year is not
enough to purchase fuel
to keep the generators
running and will need at
least double that for
next year.
The state institution
says it requires at
least ¢176 billion
colones next year to
keep the lights on. ICE
president Pablo Quirós
said that the high cost
is not only because of
increased fuel purchases
to meet the demand, but
also because of high
fuel prices.
Quirós added that is
impossible to stop
generating electricity
by fuel due to the fact
that the construction of
the new hydro generating
plants will take several
more years and that
weather conditions have
changed, as summers are
much drier than in the
past, affecting the
water level of the
generating dams.
The ICE president added
that the Aresep has been
made fully aware of the
"grave" situation that
the country is facing.
"The revenue for
development, seeing the
challenge we have to
double generation in the
next 10 years, has been
very slow, in a
professional manner we
should have a support
for development,
however, we are always
under water and I think
we need to
professionalize and
develop a business
comfort level that does
not lead us to financial
problems", said Quirós.
The Aresep has said that
it will begin holding
public hearings on the
ICE request beginning on
October 1.
The Regulado General,
Fernando Herrero, would
not discuss the ICE
request, saying only
that the request is
being analyzed and is
following the process as
established by law.
"we will not get into a
debate with ICE nor any
of its officials", said
Herrero.
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