Minae will clarify energy course in March

In April 15 starts dialogue on future of transport and hydrocarbons

February 28th, 2015.

The energy direction of Costa Rica will be known in March with the publication of the first draft of the VII National Energy Plan by the Minae.

From this month, the country will know what to expect in the next 35 years in terms of energy efficiency, distributed generation, optimization of sources and socio-environmental safeguards.

This was confirmed yesterday Edgar Gutierrez, senior Ministry of Environment and Energy (Minae), who said that many of the decisions taken there will be implemented from next month: you must not wait for the publication of the plan in September.

The draft is based on the results tables National Dialogue on Energy, led by Environment, which took place between late October and December.

There they brought their positions, for example, the Regulatory Authority for Public Services (Aresep), the Costa Rican Association of Power Producers (ACOP) and the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE).

Why? The board came to the urgency of Minae to achieve consensus in the sector. The energy debate took special importance when the country started looking how to lower high electricity rates and include more and different clean sources in the matrix.

The electricity cost is the main factors that make the industry less competitive in Costa Rica, has even led companies to close doors.

Out of respect for dialogue, Gutierrez asked the entities related curb their decisions on energy, and the deputies not to pursue any bill concerning exploitation of sources or private participation.

But in the process two crucial decisions were taken: the president Luis Guillermo Solís defined that will not allow geothermal exploitation in national parks, and Carlos Obregon, head of ICE, decided that it is not necessary to raise the allowed private generators stop.

The second chapter of the National Energy Plan will dictate the direction of transport and fuel. The dialogue that serve as input start on April 15.

Source: 'La Nación'