Because of the behavior of the energy supply from renewable sources, between 2017 and 2018 electricity generation increased by 2%.
The latest report of the General Comptroller of Panama, details that in 2018 were generated 10,783 million kwh, which is equivalent to a 1.8% increase over the 10,597 million offered in 2017.
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.
Guatemala exported $10 million worth of electricity to the neighboring country in the first seven months, significantly more than the one million dollars reported in 2017.
Sergio Recinos, Banco de Guatemala president, said to Dca.gob.gt that "... With regard to this activity, greater dynamism is expected in electricity generation associated with the expected increase in external demand from Mexico and the restructuring of the energy matrix'.”
Corporación AES El Salvador has announced that this year it will replace 50 thousand electromechanical meters with digital meters, and will increase the voltage of the energy supplied in the center of the capital.
Regarding the plan to raise the voltage from 4.16 Kv to 23 Kv in downtown San Salvador, representatives from the energy company explained that the increase will be made in order to respond to growth that has been registered in demand.
The National Electricity Transmission Company in Panama forecasts that during 2018, 1.796 MW will be consumed in the country, 6% more than in 2017.
The "Plan for the Expansion of the National Interconnected System", prepared by the National Electricity Transmission Company (Etesa), predicts that " ... electric power consumption in the National Interconnected System could see growth rates in the order of 5, 5% to 6.1% as an annual average, for the fifteen years of the projection (2017-2031)."
In Guatemala, plans are underway to implement a smart metering system for electricity consumption, where SMEs and residential users will be integrated with small businesses.
Representatives from the Electricity Company of Guatemala (Empresa Eléctrica de Guatemala or Eegsa) announced that within the framework of studies for the New Value Added Distribution (VAD), next year they plan to install smart consumption meters with the option of prepaid payment.
In 2017, electric energyexports totaled $103 million, 104% more than was sold in 2017, reversing the falls registered in the two previous years.
According to figures from the Banco de Guatemala, over the past year the country sold abroad a monthly average $8.5 million worth of electricity, with the Central American region being the main destination market.
Construction projects for water treatment plants, and extensions to the Metro and the airport, are works that will considerably increase demand for electricity in the coming years.
The National Electric Power Company of Honduras has received 18 bids in the tender to supply 820 MW of firm capacity and associated energy.
Authorities at the National Electric Energy Company (ENEE) detailed that the companies who won contracts will be announced before the end of the year.The objective is to contract out 820 MW of firm capacity and itsassociatedenergydivided into four sub-blocks, for the period from January 27, 2018 to January 27, 2028.
Good quality electricity provided at a fair price is what the business sector needs, and it is demanding a more open market that facilitates the presentation of better offers by operators.
Currently the average price per kilowatt hour of electricity in Honduras ranges between $0.15 and$0.17, one of the highest in the region. An alternative to reducing these prices and improving the quality of energy is to facilitate the participation of more operators in public energy tenders, so that, as the businessman Jimmy Dacareth suggests, the "... the best offers that they may have" can be presented.
73% of the energy generated during July came from renewable sources, of which 66% corresponded to energy from hydroelectric plants.
From a report by Agexport entitled "Energy Monitor - August 2017":
Historical Average Monthly Spot Price (US $/KWh) The behavior of the SPOT Price for the month of July was the lowest so far in 2017, standing at 45.08 USD / kWh. This represents a decrease of 28% in relation to the year 2016. According to historical behavior, during the months of July, due to climatic and generation conditions, the monthly price has always been very close to or above the annual average.
The Energy Secretariat has recommended that Etesa conduct a short-term tender to contract power and energy, to start supply in 2018.
In a resolution published by the Energy Secretariat, Etesa it was recommended that tender documents be drawn up to tender the contracting of power and / or energy to cover the contracting obligations for electricity distribution companies.
The private sector demands more actions from the government to solve the problem of restrictions on the sale of energy in the regional network, imposed by the Regional Operator.
Since October and to date the Regional Operator Entity (EOR) of the Siepac has disconnected Guatemala from the regional network on several occasions, preventing local generators from exporting their surplus to other countries in the region.
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