Last year, 87 environmental impact studies were submitted in the countries in the region, for the construction of power generation plants and works on electricity networks.
Panama is the country in the region where the largest investment is concentrated, with an approximate $1.29 billion in energy projects, corresponding to 32 environmental impact studies submitted to the Ministry of the Environment between January and December 2017.
Contracts with the winning companies in the tender for 170 MW of energy, involving the construction of the first wind farm in the country and three solar plants, are estimated to be worth $340 million.
From a statement issued by the Ministry of Economy:
The Economy Minister Tharsis Solomon Lopez, presided over the signing of contracts which distribution companies in the country drew up for new power generation projects awarded as a result of the International Competitive Bidding.
In a transaction whose amount was not disclosed, Globeleq Mesoamerica Energy and Actis sold 100% of the equity of the 125 MW wind farm Cerro Hula to Corporacion Multi Inversiones.
From a press release by Actis Energy:
Actis, a leading growth markets investor, and Mesoamerica, a Latin american investment management firm, today announced the sale of their stake in Globeleq Mesoamerica Energy (GME) to Corporacion Multi Inversiones (CMI) a corporation of Central American origin with activities across 13 countries. CMI is acquiring a combined 100% stake from Actis and Mesoamerica.
In Costa Rica, 19 projects were selected as "eligible" by the state run power company, but the same institution has ruled out opening new competitions to purchase more wind-generated power.
EDITORIAL
Investment in alternative energy is risky, because it depends on uncontrollable external factors such as unpredictable weather variations, which have particular effects on hydraulics, solar and wind power.
In the last two years the country which is the Latin American champion in wind energy lost $63 million a year from purchasing wind MWh at $70 and having to resell it at $7.
EDITORIAL
We are in agreement with the need to contribute to the sustainability of human development on this planet, and the need to transform the energy matrix of countries in order to become less dependent on oil, but the balance of the cost of this transformation needs to be adequate, in order to avoid making the kind of mistakes committed by the government of Uruguay.
Two companies are carrying out feasibility studies in order to build two wind farms of 20 MW and 30 MW, in the departments of Santa Ana and Sonsonate, respectively.
Laprensagrafica.com reports that both companies are only at the stage of determining feasibility, measuring "... winds at different heights ...".Luis Reyes, executive secretary of the National Energy Council (CNE) said "...
There are now twenty companies, both Salvadoran and from other countries that have purchased bidding rules for the supply of energy.
About 20 companies have acquired the bidding rules for the supply of 100 MW of power to be contracted out with two technologies of generation; they are 60 MW using photovoltaic systems and 40 MW using wind power.
Luis Reyes, executive secretary of the National Energy Council (CNE) said that "there are companies from different countries, including Spanish, Italian, German and Salvadoran. Companies are very interested in this tender . We have received a lot of inquiries from companies."
A new wind farm and the expansion of the International Airport of El Salvador, are the first two projects to be conducted under this system.
"Today (yesterday) I called a meeting with the president of CEPA (Autonomous Executive Port Commission) and CEL (Executive Hydroelectric Commission of the Lempa River) to immediately structure the first two projects: the expansion of the international airport and the wind project which the CEL is working with," said Alexander Segovia, Technical Secretary of the Presidency.
Energy generated from wind power has great potential for growth in a region where access to natural gas is limited and countries mainly depend on diesel.
According to Adrian Katzew, manager of the Danish firm Vestas, a wind turbine manufacturer, the wind industry’s potential for growth of at the regional level is very high, considering that in Central America and the Caribbean there is no easy access to natural gas, meaning that power generation is dependant mainly on diesel and hydroelectric sources "which are very cyclical."
Chinese wind turbine manufacturers are betting on growth in the Latin American market, offering loans backed by their government at very competitive rates.
Interest rates could be as much as 50% lower than those granted by local banks.
"The package being offered could make buyers choose Chinese machines in preference to those of Western manufacturers such as Vestas Wind Systems A / S of Denmark or General Electric Co., in a similar manner to the U.S. government helping exporters to sell cotton from dependent countries guaranteeing loans or insurance", noted an article in Prensa.com
The Executive Hydroelectric Committee of the Rio Lempa is planning to put out to tender a concession for a 42 MW wind farm and 14.2 MW solar energy plant.
Because of the lack new sites suitable for the installation of large hydroelectric dams in El Salvador, alternative sources are being considered so as to diversify the country's energy mix, said a spokesman for the Executive Hydroelectric Committee of Rio Lempa (CEL) Ramon Moreno.
The site in Santa Ana will be put out to tender and should be under construction in 2015; its installed capacity will be 42 MW.
The Executive Hydroelectric Commission of the Lempa River (CEL) is looking to build a wind farm in the municipality of Metapan, Santa Ana, where 28 wind turbines each producing 1.5 megawatts, will be installed, which together will eventually generate a total of 42 megawatts , which translates to 126.5 GWh of energy per year, reported Laprensagrafrica.com.
The Executive Hydroelectric Commission of the Lempa River (CEL) is inviting bids for the supply and installation of wind measurement stations.
The tender is for supply and installation of wind measurement stations, technical assistance, data analysis and delivery of spare parts.
Due to increased demand for electrical power and the need to diversify the energy matrix, through the use of clean and renewable energy sources, the Executive Hydroelectric Commission of the Lempa River (CEL) since 2004 has been conducting studies to identify the wind resource potential in El Salvador.
The Salvadoran government has selected the IBERINSA company to perform the second feasibility study for the installation of a wind farm.
The Spanish company, Iberian Studies and Engineering (IBERINSA), has 15 months to develop the study in the municipalities of Metapán, Santa Ana and San Isidro in Sonsonate, starting in May.
Manuel Escobar, head of the Technical Evaluation Department of the Lempa River Hidroelectric Executive Commision (CEL), and head of this project, told Laprensagráfica.com: "It is a project that began five years ago after a Brazilian consultant, through a preliminary study, located four strategic points where this resource can be obtained. The company will have to install a sort of tower that contains a tool for measuring the strength of the wind (a datalogger) to know how much wind can be transformed into electrical energy. "