The CABEI has approved a $425 million loan to finance a water supply project in three cantons in Guanacaste, Costa Rica.
The Central American Bank for Economic Integration (BCIE) reported that the funds will be used to finance construction of hydraulic, civil and mechanical structures to achieve the multiple purpose of providing water for irrigation, water for human consumption and future generation of energy.
The Central American Bank for Economic Integration has announced that this month it will deliver 55% of the funds required to implement the customs union between the two countries.
The funds pending for the implementation of the Customs Union between Guatemala and Honduras are being managed by the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (BCIE) for a total of $1.5 million for delivery in February.
Between October 28th and 30th, Guatemala City will host a meeting between businessmen from various productive sectors in Spain and representatives from Central American companies.
This multilateral meeting aims to find business opportunities in the energy industry, transport, water and real estate development, among others.
In 2014 the dynamism of the sector will depend on the speed with which the current infrastructure problems and excessive paperwork can be resolved.
The Costa Rican Chamber of Construction (CCC) today announced that 2013 closed with a decline of 1.7%, about 99 thousand square meters less than in 2012.
From a press release by the Costa Rican Chamber of Construction:
A $270 million loan awarded by the BCIE will enable the construction of new hospital facilities in San Jose, Guanacaste and Puntarenas.
From a press release issued by the Presidency of Costa Rica:
This morning (yesterday) the Government of the Republic signed an agreement with the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (BCIE) which allows the construction of new hospital facilities, strengthening and increasing the capacity for attention of three national hospitals in the provinces of San José, Guanacaste and Puntarenas; in the latter place a new hospital will be built, since facilities were affected by the earthquake of 2012.
The Ministry of Transport and Public Works will put the works out to tender at the end of the first quarter of 2014.
From a Press Release by the Presidential House of Costa Rica:
"By signing an addendum to the voluntary agreement between the Association Council for Real Estate Development (CODI) and the National Council for Roads (Conavi) there will be an extension to 5 -lanes of the ring road Santa Ana- Belen two kilometers long, and 4 bridges located on this highway in which an investment of $34 million is estimated to be carried out. The first phase of work will involve the relocation of utilities and will start next January in order to have the necessary space to allow extending the lanes.
Interest and fees are paid for $781 million in outstanding loans, of which only $41 million have been used, 5% of the total.
The country pays interest and fees for a total of nine loans that have hardly been used. "Up until August, the Government paid a total of $3.8 million in commitment fees and interest on loans that were first implemented in the last four years ...", reported Nacion.com.
The European Investment Bank will support investment in hydropower, wind, geothermal and photovoltaic systems in Central America.
The program is being conducted in partnership with the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (BCIE) and seeks to free up more than $500 million for investments in public and private projects using clean energy in Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, Costa Rica and Panama.
The BCIE has granted an additional $3 million to Desyfin's global credit line, meaning that the total amount it now has reaches $10 million.
With this money Desyfin will finance "programs to support micro, small and medium enterprises, financial intermediation programs for social housing, the housing and urban improvement program, and factoring products for suppliers," explains Nacion.com.
In Costa Rica the industrial zone of Coyol has become the new center of attraction for investments, even though it lacks adequate road and water infrastructure.
A good example of the growth in the area is by Grupo Condal, which plans to invest $14 million in this region with the construction of a logistics park measuring 15,000 square meters. In addition, the multinational Walmart last May opened its largest distribution center in Central America (57,776 m²) with an investment of $70 million.
In Costa Rica the Brazilian company OAS has six months to find someone to pay more than $500 million for a project that has been opposed by 90% of the population.
According to Edwin Rodriguez, technical secretary of the National Concessions Council (CNC), the Brazilian company OAS is negotiating with international banks for the resources to fund the project.
Costa Rica has released a reform bill which seeks to "restructure" the Secretariat for Economic Integration (SIECA by its initials in Spanish).
It also suggests reforms to the Central American Court of Justice (CCJ) and the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (BCIE), among others.
"The foreign ministers of the Central American Integration System (SICA) have studied a first 'sketch' of the body of reforms, including changes to some components and the creation of a Secretariat of Security", noted an article in Siglo21.com.gt.
In the tender for energy from clean sources convened in Costa Rica, private wind generators offered a kilowatt hour at $0.0830.
The cost per kilowatt hour generated at the wind farm belonging to the public National Power and Light Company (Compañía Nacional de Fuerza y Luz or CNFL in Spanish) is $0.22.
Nacion.com reports that "private generators offered the ICE wind energy which was almost three times cheaper than that produced by state enterprises.
The Government of Costa Rica has announced the construction of a new hospital in the province of Puntarenas, with a loan of $100 million from CABEI.
The new structure will be located on a plot of 15 acres owned by the National Production Council, which was given as payment for debts that the NPC had with the IRS. The Ministry of Finance, in turn, gave it to the Social Security Department.
The Central American Bank for Economic Integration is inviting bids for consulting services in two projects on a Pre-Investment Road Program for Honduras.
General Objectives of the consultancy:
To produce complete documentation, so the project can proceed to carry out the bidding processes for the execution and the supervision of the project of the same name.