PAC bet for cheaper geothermal electricity rates

Bench does not endorse exploitation of that source by private companies

October 30th,2014

The main challenge of the Members of the Citizen Action Party (PAC) to lower the cost of electricity tariffs is juicing up the generation of geothermal energy in national parks.

The fraction required to be the Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE) in sole charge of exploiting the heat emanating from the interior of the Earth. Thus, cheap energy is constantly generated, while safeguarding biodiversity is ensured.

The proposal was presented by PAC with the Ministry of Environment and Energy (Minae) -in the context of the national dialogue on electricity- and yesterday published government legislator Javier Cambronero.

Geothermal energy is used in the country since 1994 and today is the second source that's generated.

The PAC also boosts sources such as wind, solar and biomass, which, in its proposal, will be the only ones that can exploit private generators. The frame does not discount the import of natural gas for generation.

There are three energy bills presented Citizen Action and remain valid today in the legislative process.

One of them is related to geothermal exploitation (19,233), pending in the Committee on Agricultural since 5 September.

Deputy Otton Solis, principal sponsor of the plan proposes to authorize ICE exploitation anywhere in the national parks, provided you stick to strict environmental standards.

In the Environmental Commission are processed from the previous administration, the Biofuels Act (18,789) and the Law on Electricity Generation by Biomass (16,788). Both, according to the deputy Cambronero are about to be dictated.

"With biofuels plan, we will allow the private sector recovery in depressed areas of agro sector through the production of palm oil, castor oil plants and other high-energy," he said.

The project biomass fraction intended to obtain cheap energy advantage agro residues such as bagasse from sugar cane and pineapple waste.

Only ICE. Emilia Molina, head of the PAC fraction, requires that ICE is the only manager to develop from now on hydropower and geothermal.

"We are against increasing private participation, especially in the case of run of river plants, and we believe that ICE should stay with geothermal," he said.

Source: 'La Nación'