In Costa Rica, the state-owned electricity company ICE is evaluating the renegotiation of prices and conditions in power purchase contracts with private generation companies.
The adjustments planned by the Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE) in contracts with private generators are based on the need to reduce costs and adapt prices and quantities purchased to current demand conditions and the availability of resources to generate energy.
After spending $146 million over six years, Costa Rica's state-owned electricity company finally decided to cancel construction of the Diquis hydroelectric power plant in Puntarenas.
Authorities of the Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE), informed that decided to cancel the hydroelectric project due to the fall in national energy consumption and because the country has sufficient installed electricity capacity to meet demand in coming years.
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.
The Ministry of Environment in Costa Rica is considering raising the ceiling on the amount of energy private generators are allowed to produce above the current 15%, but these companies are demanding the elimination of the ceiling and free competition.
Private power generation companies are opposed to pricing and limits that are imposed on the participation and sale of power in the country, and consider it a "discriminatory act".
The laws in Costa Rica are an obstacle to attract more Foreign Direct Investment and cooperation on clean energy.
Despite this, the government of Laura Chinchilla has asked U.S. President Barack Obama for more cooperation in developing clean sources of energy production.
"Contrary to the intentions of Chinchilla, a juggling game is being played between private hydroelectric cogeneration, bad political environment facing the plan for the "electricity contingency Act ", the oil moratorium decreed by the government, and even the CAFTA, which left out the opening of the local hydrocarbons market, which affects the import of natural gas," noted an article in Elfinacierocr.com.