The Central American Integration Bank approved the awarding and signing of contracts for various works, which together amount to $36.6 million.
The funds are part of the Debt Conversion Program of Honduras against Spain, which is administered by the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI), reported the multilateral organization.
In view of the possibility of energy rationing for the summer season in Honduras, businesspeople are calling for the tender processes for the supply of electricity to be speeded up.
The National Electricity Company will have to convene a new tender to replace the four contracts for 520 MW of thermal energy maturing between 2017 and 2018.
In 2017 a contract for 80 MW with Elcosa and another for 240 MW with Lufussa will come to an end, while in 2018 a contract for 200 MW with Enersa will be finalised.The National Electricity Company will convene a new contest in which power generating companies based on natural gas, have expressed interest in participating.
A bill proposes renewing renewable energy generation contracts automatically rather than calling new tenders.
The proposal to reform the General Electricity Industry Act, in force since 2014, claims that"... renewable energycontracts remain in force, but do not benefit from the incentive payment of 10% of the base price and annual adjustment for inflation", as established by current legislation."
The contract signed with the concessionaire of the next international airport of Honduras establishes that Toncontin must be closed down. "At this moment" they want to change that contract.
In a demonstration of how insecure the signing of contracts for large public works projects can be in some countries on the isthmus, in the view of the government of Honduras "... the vision at this moment is to not close Toncontin and for Palmerola to start operating and look for a project that is feasible and profitable. "
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 Legislature has approved on their third reading contracts for wind power in a 3,615 MW project, an electrical project in La Ceiba and one in Colón.
An announcement has been made that solar energy projects that negotiated contracts with the state run power company and begin operating before July 31 will receive an incentive of $0.03 per KW / h.
For renewable energy the price is, according to the National Energy Company (ENEE) is $11.4 KW / h, marginal cost, added to which is the 10% incentive and now on top of this would be added the additional $0.03 for generators operating during the next three months. In total for these companies the price KW / h would be at $15.54.
Out of 48 contracts for clean energy generation which promised a total of 700MW, only 15 are operational, delivering only 100MW.
According to Honduran authorities "... A review process is already underway of the renewable energycontracts which for various reasons have not yet begun operations, a backlog which represents a liability for the National Electricity Company (ENEE). "
After the 15% advance payment to the Italian company the repairs to the dam in Honduras will begin in December and will take two years.
After countless delays, repair of the hydroelectric finally will finally have free reign, after the award in May and the signing of the contract in August to repair cracks and the slope in the tunnels.
The Honduran government has annulled the contract awarded in January to the company Saisa for the construction of the terminal and announced they will put it out to tender again.
The project will be conducted under conditions different from those previously established, for this reason the cancellation of the contract was confirmed and it was clarified that the company given the award, Servicios Aeroportuarios Integrados S.A. (Saisa), "... no longer has the possibility of executing this work."
Starting October the Regional Electric Interconnection Commission will implement a pilot program to authorize priority supply contracts and reduce the cost of energy exports.
In the absence of long-term contracts for regional energy transactions, the Regional Electric Interconnection Comission "... asked the Regional Operator Entity (EOR by its initials in Spanish) to conduct studies to identify the levels of maximum power transfer for each country and for supply contracts to be authorized according to priority in order to reduce the cost of energy exports. "
Currently being contemplated is the possibility of canceling the contract for the construction and management of the airport, awarded in January, and putting out a new tender for the procedure.
Due to the fact that airport safety in the country is now the responsibility of the government, the Commission for the Promotion of Public Private Partnerships (Coalianza) has announced that they are studying the possibility of canceling the contract which was awarded to Saisa, which included the management of security, and instead launching a new tender which would remove the issue of security from the contract.
Nearly seven years after the work was awarded, the contract with the Guatemalan CECHSA for the construction of a 150 MW coal plant in Honduras has been cancelled.
After several years of problems obtaining financing without making any progress in the work, Empresa Nacional de Energía Eléctrica de Honduras has decided to formally terminate the contract with the Comercializadora de Electricidad de Centroamérica de Honduras S.A, to whom it had awarded the work directly during the administration of Manuel Zelaya.
A few days before the entry into force of the new General Law on the Electricity Industry, which prevents Empresa Nacional de Energía Eléctrica from making contracts without using a tender process, the Board of Directors of the company has approved the purchase of 560 MW.