In the first nine months of 2018, 33 environmental impact studies were presented in the countries of the region to develop energy generating plants and work on electricity grids.
The interactive platform "Construction in Central America", compiled by the Business Intelligence Unit at CentralAmericaData, includes an up to date list of public and private constructionprojects for which environmental impact studies (EIA) were submitted to the respective institutions of each country.
The fourth phase of the Renace hydroelectric plant in the Alta Verapaz department, Guatemala, was completed, so it will be supplying 55 MW more to the national system.
In October 2015, phase four of the Renace hydroelectricproject received definitive authorization for the use of public property, such as the Canlich and Cahabón rivers for 50 years.
During the first ten months of the year, 72% of the electricity was generated with hydraulic sources, 20% thermal, 5% wind, 2% solar and 1% self-generation.
According to the most recent figures of the General Comptroller's Office of Panama, 917 million kWh were generated in October 2018, which is equivalent to a decrease of 2.3% with respect to the 939 million offered in the same month of 2017.
The lack of incentives for investment in extractive activity could be one of the reasons behind the downward trend in oil production in the country.
During the first ten months of the year, the country reported 2.78 million barrels of production, 5% less than the same period in 2017.
The Ministry of Energy and Mines (MEM) reported that the crude exploitation in the country continues its downward trend, since between the first ten months of 2017 and the same period this year, it fell from 2.93 million to 2.78 million barrels.
In El Salvador, twelve renewable energy generation projects with a total capacity of 23 MW are preparing to start operations between 2018 and 2020.
The National Energy Council (CNE) reported that the dozen energy generation projects, which will begin operations in the period between 2018, 2019 and 2020, will have the capacity to supply electricity to 771.350 households in the country.
Because of the increase in energy demand, last year in Guatemala the Electricity Supply and Water Collection sector was the sector that explained the largest increase in the GDP calculation.
Notwithstanding the conflict that has affected the development of several hydroelectric projects, the electricity supply and water collection sector has reported year-on-year increases of more than 4.5% for the 2010-2018 period.
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 response to the energy exports to Mexico, the CRIE warned Guatemala last month that it must comply with rules that protect the stability of the regional system.
Arguing that Guatemala is a signatory of the Framework Treaty for the Central American Electricity Market, the Regional Electricity Interconnection Commission (CRIE) warned that the norms designed to protect the stability of the Regional Electricity System (SER) must be fulfilled.
Helium Energy Panama filed a lawsuit against Etesa for non-conformity with the result of a wind energy tender.
Helium Energy Panama, a wind energy generator, filed a lawsuit in the Third Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice against the state-owned Empresa de Transmision Electrica S.A. (Etesa) for more than $50 million.
The deadline for the Panama NG Power to submit a clarification of financial information for the construction of the 670 MW natural gas plant was extended to December 26th.
After a judicial ruling was issued in December 2017 allowing Panama NG Power 150 days to prove that it has the economic capacity to develop the project, the process suffered several setbacks, because according to the company's interpretation, the deadline began on March 8, 2018, but the National Public Services Authority (Asep) stated it was expired at the beginning of June of this year.
Since last October 15th, the electricity rates have reported an increase of 8% with respect to the prices of the previous quarter.
The General Superintendence of Electricity and Telecommunications (Siget) informed that among the variables that have influenced the energy price this quarter are a substantial decrease in rainfall last July and the first weeks of August, which affected the reservoir filling of hydroelectric plants, limiting generation based on this type of resource.
Lack of legal certainty, electricity theft and social conflicts are forcing businessmen in Guatemala's energy sector to choose to relocate their investments to El Salvador.
Last year, the companies Applied Energy Services (AES) and Corporación Multi Inversiones (CMI), both US and Guatemalan capital, decided to invest $47 million in solar energy projects, encouraged by the facilities offered to the energy sector in El Salvador.
Due to a group of demonstrators who have taken over the Chixoy hydroelectric facility, there is a risk that in Guatemala electricity service rates will increase by up to 10%.
Since September 25th, a group of people claiming the payment of a complementary compensation has taken over the hydroelectric plant Chixoy, one of the most important in the country, and threatens to set it on fire.
In Nicaragua, electricity consumption in the industrial sector fell 4% between March and August of this year, mainly due to the political and social crisis the country is currently experiencing.
Sergio Maltez, president of the Nicaraguan Chamber of Industry (Cadin), explained to Laprensa.com.ni about the reduction in electricityconsumption that "... This reduction in the sector could be the result of less activities in construction and mining. In both the construction industry and non-metallic mining, several projects have been stopped. In addition, when the crisis began, some companies temporarily closed and evidently did not consume the same percentage of energy'."
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.
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