The supervisory body announced that the reduction in electricity rates will be effective starting April 15th for users of the CAESS.
According to the General Superintendency of Electricity and Telecommunications (SIGET) of El Salvador, the fall in oil prices and an increase in the purchase of electricity from neighboring countries caused a reduction in the prices users pay for electricity.
The contest announced for the first quarter for the supply of 100 MW of clean energy has been canceled until the need for the recruitment has been defined.
Due to the fact that studies are still being conducted to determine the technical feasibility of the purchase of power generated exclusively from renewable resources and that there is currently a tender underway for traditional energy, the Superintendency of Electricity and Telecommunications has decided to suspend it until there is a clearer diagnosis of the energy needs.
The Legislature has passed a law authorizing the Attorney General to carry out investigations on its own initiative, without the need for a formal complaint.
From a statement issued by the Legislative Assembly of El Salvador:
The National Assembly unanimously passed the Special Law Against Crime Extortion, which will toughen criminal and procedural sanctions, as well as administrative measures for the prevention, investigation, and prosecution of the crime of extortion.
It is expected that by 2018 the transition to digital TV will be complete, but the Salvadoran government has not yet established when or how it will be done.
The transition process is currently suspended because the Supreme Court has not resolved a law suit on unconstitutionality, because of this the General Superintendency of Electricity and Telecommunications (Siget) and the Salvadoran government have still not defined which system they will choose and how it will be implemented.
The state power company has presented a major expansion and improvement plan for transmission towers and high voltage substations and intends to start the tender process in the first weeks of 2015.
The Transmission Company of El Salvador (Etesa) plans to implement this project within 5 to 10 years and will fund it by adding charges on electricity bills for consumers.
The telecommunications sector is asking for spectrum auctions to be resumed in order to meet the growing demand for voice and data services.
After the Supreme Court suspended the auction process as a precautionary measure after receiving a constitutional challenge over the allocation of television frequencies, the telecommunications sector has not been able to meet new demand for services.
An announcement has been made that the bidding rules for the tender for managing the porting process will be presented in the coming months.
The Superintendency of Electricity and Telecommunications confirmed with Elsalvador.com that "... the tender committee will be in charge of portability, which in turn will be integrated after the Portability Regulation has been officially presented, now that it has been completed."
Paying lip service: For the third consecutive year the news is the same, there are still no definitions of the regulations for the Electrical Interconnection System for Central American Countries.
The electricity purchase that AES El Salvador has agreed with Hydro-Xacbal of Guatemala remains elusive.
On Monday January 16, 2012 we published on CentralAmericaData.com:COM:
The auction of 40 MHz of electric spectrum will be rescheduled while appeals filed by two interested companies are reviewed.
The Superintendency of Electricity and Telecommunications (Siget) has 20 working days to determine whether to reschedule the auction of 40 MHz of spectrum for mobile telephony. This was established by a resolution of the Board of the entity.
An estimated $42 million of investment will be made by the 35 companies generating photovoltaic energy using biogas and hydro.
The Superintendency of Electricity and Telecommunications (SIGET) has awarded 15 MW of renewable energy. About 35 companies will generate photovoltaics based on biogas and hydropower, about $1.2 million will be invested in each project.
The Superintendency of Competition has asked to review the process of not limiting the participation of companies.
From a press release bythe Superintendency of Competition (SC):
The Board (CD) of the Competition Superintendence (SC) has issued an opinion on the bidding process for the supply of 300 MW of firm capacity and associated energy. The Superintendent noted that the tender conditions contain some measures that could limit the number of potentially interested parties in participating in the bidding process.
The Superintendency of Competition believes that auctioning 40 MHz creates disadvantages for new entrants who want to enter the mobile phone market.
From a press release by the Superintendence of Competition in El Salvador:
The Board of Directors of the Superintendence of Competition has recommended to the General Superintendency of Electricity and Telecommunications (SIGET) that the auction of 40 MHz of radio spectrum recently announced should include the participation "only [of] new entrants who are not associated with any mobile operator presently in market. This is to promote competition between agents being equal and ensure the chances of increasing the number of competitors in the market, generating dynamism and competition. Failing the above, the auction will be suspended. "
There will be a batch of 40 MW generated by wind power and the remaining 60 MW through solar generation.
From a press release from the Superintendency of Electricity and Telecommunications (SIGET):
The electricity distribution companies through DELSUR, the Superintendency of Electricity and Telecommunications (SIGET) and the National Energy Council (CNE) announced the launch of a new bidding process aimed at electricity generation projects of 100 MW, based on non-conventional renewable resources and exclusive participation in the wholesale market.
Toshiba has expressed interest to the Government of El Salvador in investing in the energy sector.
From a press release by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of El Salvador:
The Deputy Minister for Development Cooperation, Jaime Miranda and the Technical Secretary of the Presidency, Alexander Segovia held a meeting today with a Japanese business delegation which has shown interest in promoting investment projects in the national energy sector.
Members of the Transactions Unit can decide to prevent the entry of certain operators and replace them with another more expensive ones, in order to raise the price of energy.
"At the request of the General Superintendency of Electricity and Telecommunications (Siget), the Superintendencia de Competencia (SC), analyzed the current conformation of the Transactions Unit (TU) and concluded that it must "remove control" possessed by participants in the wholesale market in making decisions about its management,", noted an article in Elmundo.com.sv.
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