Entrepreneurs developing of renewable energy projects have their investments paralyzed and are now requesting the government to define the 250 MW public purchase process.
This public acquisition process started in 2009, and in December the National Electric Energy Company (ENEE) announced the participating companies, but the process has been stalled so far.
Cummins Power Generation announces the launch of a new line of low-range generator sets designed to maximise performance and minimise environmental impact.
Powered by X 1.3 and X 2.5 engines, the new generator sets join an already impressive range of power solutions offered by Cummins Power Generation, a world leader in the diesel generator market for 90 years.
Cummins Power Generation Inc. is a worldwide provider of electrical generators and power generation systems, components and services in standby power, distributed power generation, as well as auxiliary power in mobile applications to meet the needs of a diversified customer base.
Organization that operates in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama
Phone: (1-800) 888–6626
The company announced an initial investment of $5 million in a pilot renewable energy program, and further investment up to $50 million.
Called “Citizen Video Protection” (“Video Protección Ciudadana”), the project includes installing 342 security cameras in the provinces of San José, Limón, Alajuela and Heredia, to assist in surveillance tasks.
Pedro Pablo Quirós, ICE president, explained that “these cameras can capture photographs, store them, process them, receive commands and suggest actions, as they not only capture video and images, but include intelligence to assist in providing security”.
President Porfirio Lobo authorized the creation of an energy commission to define an energy policy for the country.
This announcement was made as the country starts recovering from the economic crisis, a situation that will most likely increase energy demand.
“Another pending task is the finalization of a public bidding process for 250MW of renewable energy. This electricity should enter the system on 2016”, reported Laprensa.hn.
EuroProspect Alternative Energy is born from the need to attend to the renewable energy requirements of professionals in this area of the world. We aim to contribute to solving the problems derived from the expense, pollution and shortage of “traditional” energy sources in developing and/or remote areas of Latin America and the Caribbean.
Organization that operates in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama
Phone: (305) 859-9877
Globeleq Generation Limited acquired 70% of Energías Renovables de Mesoamérica S.A., owner, operator and developer of wind projects in Central America.
ERM owns and operates a 23MW wind energy plant in Tilaran, Costa Rica and is developing in Honduras, the Cerro de Hula wind energy project with a designed capacity of 100MW. Additionally, ERM owns the rights of several potential renewable energy projects in the region.
The country has an energy production capacity of 1,294 MW, of which it consumes a maximum of 1,115 at peak hours.
This was stated in a report by the National Electricity Company (ENEE), which also indicated that excess production is exported to the Regional Energy Market (MER), which takes place in low demand hours, between 9 pm and 10 am.
The report also detailed that of the 1294 MW generated, 747.5 MW (58%) come from thermal plants, 446 MW (34%) come from water sources and the remaining 101 MW (8%) are produced by mills, factories and thermal plants belonging to the ENEE.
Entrepreneurs are complaining that ENEE favors companies producing electricity with imported raw materials.
Energy developers are complaining that the National Electricity Company (ENEE) is negotiating contracts with companies that work with imported raw materials, while a number of renewable energy projects are stalled due to lack of resolution.
The construction of the 150 MW plants does not progress as expected.
Two companies, Cecsah (Comercializadora de Electricidad Centroamericana de Honduras) and Vetasa (Vehículos de Trabajo S.A.), have contracts with the National Electric Energy Company (ENEE) for the set up of 150MW coal power generation plants.
However, ENEE informed Laprensahn.com that "there is slowness in the implementation of the contracts" by both companies.
The project to be developed in San Pedro Sula was announced during Expo-energy 2009 in Honduras and it would generate 300 megawatts.
Minister Tomás Vaquero, head of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment (SERNA by its initials in Spanish), reported that a U.S. company with experience in such projects is interested in developing it.
According to the article by Germán Briceño in Laprensa.hn, Minister Vaquero said: "We have large and small projects from 20 to 40 megawatts. One of them, to develop marine energy based on a submarine, has been agreed upon just this week. The interested company is from the United States. It is specialized in making satellites and has created similar solutions in Asia and Africa. The investment will be in the order of $600 million to generate 300 megawatts of electricity."
Production companies protest that the prices set by the Empresa Nacional de Energía Eléctrica do not stimulate investment in the generation of renewable energy.
According to an article in La Prensa.hn, Elsia Paz, President of the Honduran Association of Small Producers of Renewable Energy (AHPPER), declared that "Our union brings together 60 businesses and due to the fact that the price does not reflect an incentive for renewable investments, not a single small business has signed a supply contract with Enee to-date, except for a wind plant that signed above the Cmpc 2008 (10.6 ctvs. kw/h)."
Despite the controversy that has arisen and the opposition of the Honduras Higher Court of Accountability, the contracts signed by the ENEE will stand.
The corresponding decree has already been published in the Government Daily, and the authorities of the National Electric Energy Company (ENEE) confirmed that from now on they only have to ensure compliance.