Lack of legal certainty, electricity theft and social conflicts are forcing businessmen in Guatemala's energy sector to choose to relocate their investments to El Salvador.
Last year, the companies Applied Energy Services (AES) and Corporación Multi Inversiones (CMI), both US and Guatemalan capital, decided to invest $47 million in solar energy projects, encouraged by the facilities offered to the energy sector in El Salvador.
From June 5 to 9, companies from the energy industry will be gathering together in San Pedro Sula to take part in business conferences and discuss issues that are relevant to the sector.
The initiative is being run by state entities and the private sector, and will take place between June 5 and 9 at the Convention Center of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Cortés (CCIC) in San Pedro Sula.
Approval has been given to the tender document to contract energy and firm power for the province of Darién, the Guna Yala region and the archipelagos of Las Perlas and San Blas.
The tender, to be published in PanamaCompra, is to contract Firm Power and Required Energy for Isolated Systems, located in the province of Darién, Guna Yala District, Las Perlas Archipelago and San Blas Archipelago, for the periods between September 1,2018 to June 30,2030, and from July 12020 to June 30,2030.
Of the 34,629 GWh generated in 2015 by the countries included in SICA, 68% came from hydropower, 11% from cogeneration in sugar mills, 11% was geothermal, 9% wind and 0.1% based on biogas.
From a report by Cepal entitled "Statistics of electricity production by countries in the Central American Integration System (SICA)":
The plan is to implement longer terms in contracts and release energy and power demand from large customers.
The Energy Plan 2015-2020 presented by the National Secretariat of Energy in Panama is broken down into two main parts: first, the Short-Term Operational Plan 2015-2019, where proposals for the period are detailed, and second, the National energy Scenarios Plan 2015-2020, including projections of fuel prices and other energy sources and demand estimates, expected changes in the energy matrix and the future role of private companies in the energy system.
Entrepreneurs are invited to take part in the sixth edition of ExpoEnergía, to be held from June 7 to 11 at the Convention Center in San Pedro Sula.
The Ministry of Energy, Natural Resources, Environment and Mining (My Environment) in Honduras is convening the sixth edition of ExpoEnergía, to be held from June 7 to 11 at the Convention Center in San Pedro Sula.
In the next 35 years more than $11 billion will need to be invested in new projects in order to meet electricity demand, which is projected to grow at an average annual rate of 5%.
Projections by the General Secretariat of Energy also indicate the need to invest in replacing power lines every ten years, with an estimated $3 billion of investment within 35 years.
May 7th is the deadline for submitting bids in the initial tender for 350 MW, while a second opportunity, also for 350 MW, is scheduled for August 6.
The first auction scheduled for May, includes the supply of energy from July 1, 2017 until June 30, 2027, to cover about 25% of current demand. In total 700 MW will be tendered , and the second tender, scheduled for August, will cover another 25% of the country's energy demand.
"Of the 4,115 GWh imported from Guatemala to Panama, more than 80% could have been obtained from the accumulated water on Lake Arenal in Costa Rica".
The lack of more and better transmission lines between Costa Rica and Panama prevents the sale of the surplus energy which it is foreseen will be generated in Costa Rica once operations start of the new generation plants Chucas, Torito, Capulin, Reventazón, Bijagua, Orosi and expansion of La Joya.
2014 report on the Panamanian electricity market containing average prices for contracted capacity, demand, market participants, imports and exports.
According to the report made by the Public Services Authority of Panama, up to December 2014 energy sales in the spot market totaled $26.7 million, equivalent to 213,041 Mw / h. The greatest demand for energy was in July 2014, registering up to 1503.46 mw, while April was the month with the lowest demand, with only 1374.22 MW.
Up until March 6 public consultation will be held on the proposed modification of trade rules for the wholesale electricity market in Panama.
From the order given by the National Authority for Public Services in Panama (ASEP):
It is resolved:
"... FIRST: APPROVE holding public consultation No.002-15 to consider the proposed amendment to the Commercial Rules for the Wholesale Electricity Market Panama, approved by Resolution JD-605, as amended, the full text of which is in ANNEX A to this Resolution. "
The Darien Gap will be avoided, with analysis being undertaken of a route through the Embera Wounaan area and another which is completely coastal, which had initially been ruled out.
Projections are to carry out the design and route for the 600 kilometer line in 2015.
Ivan Barria, CEO of the Electricity Transmission Company, told Prensa.com that "...
Although they have managed to link the last stretch of 32 kilometers which was missing from the electricity grid in the region, there is still not any regulation to define rates and market performance.
After several delays caused by problems related to easements and environmental claims, the construction and electrical connection of the 32 kilometers that were pending between the canton of Parrita and the district of Palmar in Osa, Costa Rica has been completed.
Although the installed capacity is currently small, strong growth is projected in the region as a result of tenders with prices that favor large-scale projects.
A report by IHS Technology predicts rapid growth of photovoltaic capacity in Central America, which will supposedly reach 22 megawatts in 2018.
In reading this report, it should be noted that the country experiencing the largest part of that growth is Honduras, where multiple large-scale projects have been announced in which we have not yet seen the required economic viability, which casts serious doubts on their actual realization.
SMEs in developing countries could generate jobs and significant growth by taking advantage of the market opportunities offered by clean technologies.
From a report by the World Bank:
SMEs in developing countries could generate significant growth and jobs if they take advantage of market opportunities that offer clean technologies, which reach up to $1.6 trillion.