In El Salvador, the terms of reference were announced to be published in November 2020, with details of the tender to design a biogas plant in the country.
According to directors of the Executive Hydroelectric Commission of the Lempa River (Cel), an ambitious investment plan is being worked on which, in addition to the new biogas plant, includes the development of new geothermal plants.
In El Salvador, the competition rules are being prepared to design and build a plant that will generate energy from solid waste and wastewater, which will be located on the Acelhuate River.
The project of the new plant, which will have an installed capacity of 5.2 MW and whose investment will amount to $32 million, was announced by the presidency of the Executive Hydroelectric Commission of the Lempa River (CEL).
In El Salvador, 18 proposals were submitted for the tender of 28 MW of non-conventional renewable energy, of which 12 correspond to solar projects and 6 to biogas-based generation projects.
With no details of the participating companies, it was reported that the 18 technical and economic proposals were presented on December 19 in the morning to the DELSUR authorities.
In El Salvador, at least 16 companies have registered as bidders in the tender for 28 MW of non-conventional renewable energy, for distributed solar generation and generation using biogas.
Without giving more details about the interested companies, it was reported that more than 16 investors have registered as bidders for technical and financial projects for alternative energy generation.
In El Salvador, 28 MW of non-conventional renewable solar and biogas-based energy for distributed generation will be put out to tender, and the presentation of offers is scheduled for December.
The Salvadoran government reported that "...The total power to be tendered is 28 Megawatts, of which 20 Megawatts correspond to solar photovoltaic and 8 Megawatts to Biogas, the winners will be hired for a period of 15 years and are expected to start operations from the year 2020 and 2021 respectively."
At the end of October this year, operations will start at a plant in Guanacaste that will process leftovers from pineapple production to produce biofertilizers.
The production plant is in the process of being built in the Villa del Tarso estate, in Upala, and will be dedicated to the cultivation of organic pineapples.
"...The implementation of the plant was undertaken by the administration of Valle del Torso, in order to manage the 220 tons of stubble generated per hectare of pineapple.This involves a pilot plan that aims to find a solution to the amount of stubble- the term used to describe surplus from the pineapple harvest- that is generated in the country by the agricultural exploitation of this product."
On February 25 industrialists will be discussing the promotion and use of biomass and the experiences and expectations for biogas in the country.
From a statement issued by the Chamber of Industries of Costa Rica:
National Forum of biomass-energy: The renewable resource for improving competitiveness
The Chamber of Industries of Costa Rica in conjunction with the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) and 4E: Program for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency in Central America will be holding the Second National Energy Forum on biomass on February 25 at the Crown Plaza hotel.
An announcement has been made that using a loan from a German bank expansion and improvements will be made in Managua to the wastewater treatment plant, and a biogas plant will be built.
It is anticipated that the project will take about three and a half years to be developed, which will divided into four phases. The expansion and optimization of the treatment of wastewater from Managua, the construction of the biogas plant, expansion of solar drying facilities and finally the promotion of a new consulting service to support the Nicaraguan Company of Aqueducts and Sewers (Enacal) in implementing the project.
A tender is being launched for a feasibility study for a biogas power plant using biogas in Acelhuate River in El Salvador.
Government Purchase El Salvador CEL-CP 06/14:
"FEASIBILITY STUDY FOR INSTALLING A POWER GENERATION PLANT USING BIOGAS ON THE ACELHAUATE RIVER -. The purpose of the consultancy is to carry out the feasibility study for the project and developing the terms of reference that will serve as an input to the contract for the detailed project design. Installing a Power Plant with Biogas in Acelhuate River "
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.
In Costa Rica a gas distributor has joined a company that sells equipment for the conversion of diesel engines to use the mixture in working vehicles.
Zeta Gas Costa Rica, owned by Mexico's Grupo Zeta, is a major distributor of liquefied petroleum gas, and has a network of service stations where automotive liquefied gas is sold.
Nacion.com reports that "GasAuto Z, located in La Uruca, San Jose, will launch in the next few months a new business providing the service for diesel vehicles."
After an investment of $80 million the Magdalena mill has opened its new plant which gives it a further 56MW of generation.
With this expansion the mill now provides up to 125 megawatts (MW) to the national system and covers its own consumption needs for industrial production.
The plant expansion consists of a new boiler containing 220 metric tons of steam and a turbine of 62MW, said Pedro Pablo Luna, the mill’s project manager.
The IADB, together with other organizations, has launched a $ 6.3 million initiative to develop a market for biogas which will provide renewable energy for small farmers in Nicaragua.
A press release from the Inter-American Development Bank reads:
The Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF), a member of the IDB Group, has partnered with the Nordic Development Fund and two Dutch NGO’s, Hivos and SNV, to launch a $ 6.3 million initiative to develop a biogas market to provide renewable energy to small farmers in Nicaragua and will contribute to reducing emissions of greenhouse gases.
In El Salvador, the Lempa River’s Executive Hydroelectricity Committee has announced a tender for a feasibility study to identify alternatives for the location of the project.
The study will include the identification of alternatives for the project location, quantification and characterization of wastewater and organic solid waste, identification of alternative technologies for the potential production of biogas and electricity in at least four strategic points in the basin, estimation of the investments required and analysis of the project’s economic, environmental and social benefits.