In Panama, Ingenio Alanje plans to invest $50 million in a sugarcane bagasse-based generation plant, with an installed capacity of 34 MW.
The sugar mill that processes 520,000 tons of cane per year is located in the village of El Tejar, district of Alanje, province of Chiriquí, and is planning to construct a biomass-based power plant, which is expected to be operational by the next harvest, in the summer of 2019.
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.
In Costa Rica an electricity distributor has announced it plans to invest $35 million in a power plant to generate fuel with solid waste in Belen, province of Guanacaste.
The company Coopeguanacaste has proposed to the municipalities of Liberia, Carrillo and Nicoya that they send them their waste which will be used as raw material in the plant, which they plant to operate using the method of incineration.
Plans have been made to build a power plant in Colon using solid waste for fuel, with capacity to treat 450 tons of garbage a day.
The company Aguaseo SA presented a proposal to the Mayor of Colon to build a plant for solid waste treatment and power generation, with capacity to generate 15 MW / h. The project, presented by Power Waste (Aguaseo SA) will be funded by the US consortium Gem Energy Consulting.
Kimberly Clark is investing $12.5 million in the construction of a biomass boiler and $22.2 million in a cogeneration power plant at its production plant in San Juan Opico.
The two power plants will have capacity to produce 14 MW, energy which will be used for the production plant which the multinational operates in Sitio del Niño, San Juan Opico.
The clean energy company VIASPACE has announced that it will be designing and building, together with the Nicaraguan company Agricorp, a plant which generates energy from waste.
From a statement issued by VIASPACE:
VIASPACE Inc. announced that together with Agricorp it has signed an agreement to acquire engineering and construction supervision of a 12 MW biomass plant, which will measure 834 hectares (2,060 acres).
Honduras has presented in the EIS for the expansion of a power plant based on bagasse with a required investment of $13.7 million.
The environmental impact study has been presented for the expansion of a power plant based on biomass, bagasse, cane stubble and sawdust in the town of San Juan de Flores, Francisco Morazán.
The document was presented the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of Honduras by Compañía Azucarera Tres Valles on December 31. The document reports that the project will cost an estimated $13.7 million.
The textile firm Hanes Brands has announced the construction of a power plant based on Kingras, capable of generating between 2.5 MW and 5.5 MW.
Representatives from Hanes Brands in El Salvador indicated that the purpose of the investment is "... to reduce energy demand and reduce costs. It has been estimated that the installed capacity will allow for a self-sufficiency energy level of 60% for making textiles. "
With four wind farms set up in the department of Rivas, the country is exploiting only 23% of a potential of 800 megawatts.
Although $417 million has already been invested in the construction of new wind farms in the country, there is still ample room to install more and take advantage of this kind of renewable energy generation.
"Nicaragua is a viable country in Central America for the development of wind energy, but only 23.2% of a potential of 800 Megawatts is being exploited, with four plants installed in the department of Rivas, according to the country's energy sector."