ICE expects to consume less fuel, in the next three years

For the Institution , the 2013 was a 'fatal' year due to the amount of rain

January 21st, 2014.

For the Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE) 2013 was a terrible year for the amount of rainfall that would allow it to generate electricity. The significant reduction in the last three years was a remarkable increase in the consumption of diesel, to generate thermal energy that will supply the country's demand.

Despite facing a dry period and expense, the institution expects a recovery in the next three years, which will lower the impact of thermal production has on the rate paid by Costa Ricans. But this comes after a year, "Gaston" in diesel fuel and type "bunker", used to generate thermal energy.

The director of the National Energy Control Center ICE Salvador Lopez said that despite this situation, Costa Rica continues to differentiate itself from the rest of the area. In other Central American nations are large installations of thermal plants account for more than half of electricity generation, such as 70% in Honduras.

The main source of power generation in our country is water (hydropower) with 76%, followed by 13% geothermal, thermal which means 7% on average and wind (wind) to 4%. That if the thermal energy up to 11%.

But Lopez says the process is cyclical and will decrease in the coming years, thanks to the entry of certain hydroelectric projects as the expansion of Cachi Reventazón this year and in 2016.

From January to October 2013, the volume of fuel used for electricity generation was 72 million liters of diesel and 178 million liters of bunker. This expenditure is transferred to the electricity tariff approved by the Regulatory Authority of Public Services (Aresep).

It is made by Variable Fuel Cost Methodology (CVC), which performs quarterly adjustments, positive or negative variations, depending on usage and heat recovery mechanism. Salvador Lopez explained that ICE conducts annual consumption estimates and ARESEP defined as distributed each quarter.

The point is that you know how ICE ARESEP calculated thermal spending per quarter. If you exceed or rather spend less than estimated, the Institute should move this adjustment period to the next. For example, for the months of October, November and December was defined zero consumption, but if you spent, so the ICE must "compensate" in the first months of this year.

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