15% to 25% Hike In
Electrical Rates
Approved
500.000 customers of the
Instituto Costarricense
de Electricidad (ICE)
will be paying 15% more
beginning on Monday when
the latest approved
increase in electricity
rates goes into effect.
The Autoridad Reguladora
de los Servicios
Públicos (Aresep) last
week approved the hike,
which means that a
family consuming say
¢25.000 colones a month,
will now be paying
¢29.890.
ICE had asked a 40.69%
increase. However, the
Aresep felt the increase
was too high now that
fuel prices have come
down and opted for the
lower increase .
Fernando Herrero, the
Regulador General, also
eliminated the
difference between
"winter" and "summer'
rates that ICE has been
applying, thus
diminishing the impact
of higher electricity
rates at the beginning
of the year.
Under the new plan, ICE
will have to spread out
it higher costs over the
entire year, not being
able to apply higher
rates during the summer
months (December to May)
as in the past.
Elberth Durán,
spokesperson for ICE,
said the electrical
system is "in crisis",
as the state institution
continues to operate in
the "red" and is not
financially stable, thus
the need for the higher
increase.
What this all means in
practical terms,
explained Durán, is that
ICE cannot obtain lines
of credit to finance its
operations costs and now
even worse with the
damage at the Cariblanco
hydro generating station
that was damaged during
the January 8
earthquake. Cariblanco
will be offline for
almost a year as ICE
repairs the damage.
The Compañía Nacional de
Fuerza y Luz (CNFL), a
utility company operated
by ICE and providing
electrical service to
the major part of the
Central Valley, was also
given a rate increase.
The CNFL will be raising
rates to its customers
by 25% beginning next
month. |
