No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeArchiveSETENA Rejects Study for Pocosol Dam

SETENA Rejects Study for Pocosol Dam

THE environmental-impact study fora controversial dam project was rejectedthis week by the Technical Secretariat ofthe Environment and Energy Ministry(SETENA).The study for the Pocosol hydroelectricdam in the Northern Zone was rejectedMonday because it was not receivedwithin the allotted one-year time limit,according to Mariano Peinador, directorof SETENA’s project administrationdepartment.The energy cooperative ConeléctricasR.L., which manages the project, must nowstart the process over and resubmit the project’sproposal to SETENA, he said.Last month, Coneléctricas uncoveredindigenous artifacts near the proposeddam site, north of San Ramón, reportedlywhile widening access roads to thearea.The department of Anthropology andHistory of Costa Rica’s National Museumconfirmed the presence of the pre-Columbian artifacts. If Coneléctricaswants to continue construction near thesite, the company must also submit anarcheological evaluation in addition to aregular environmental-impact study,according to the museum’s department ofanthropology.Earlier this year, the San RamónMunicipal Council halted work on theproject after officials from the municipalityand the San Ramón office of theEnvironment and Energy Ministry(MINAE) visited the site.They said that if Conélectricas continuedwork it could permanently damagethe area’s ecosystem, which includes adelicate aquifer and numerous springsthat feed into the Peñas Blancas River(TT, June 11).The proposed dam site is adjacent tothe Children’s Eternal Rain Forest, a privatereserve managed by the MonteverdeConservation League.Representatives of Coneléctricas didnot return Tico Times phone calles bypress time.

Trending Now

El Salvador Retries Environmentalists Over 1989 Wartime Killing

A new trial against five Salvadoran environmentalists, accused of murdering a woman in 1989 during the civil war, will take place on Tuesday, announced...

Costa Rica Faces Economic Blow as Intel, Pfizer, and Qorvo Announce Restructuring

Intel announced that it will shut down its chip assembly and test plant in Costa Rica, part of a broader global restructuring aimed at...

UN Denounces Guatemala Over ‘Inhuman’ Indigenous Evictions

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, Balakrishnan Rajagopal, called on the Guatemalan government on Friday to halt the “inhuman”...

Empty Stadiums and Inequality Mar Women’s Copa América

Nearly empty stadiums, players' criticism of the organization, and demands for equality in South American football have marked the 2025 Women's Copa América in...

Nicaragua Places Bayardo Arce Under House Arrest Amid Power Struggle

The Nicaraguan government has placed historic Sandinista commander Bayardo Arce, economic adviser to President Daniel Ortega, under house arrest, according to exiled opposition members...

Judicial Corruption Exposed in Costa Rica’s Latest Drug Bust

Costa Rican authorities took down a cocaine smuggling operation Tuesday that moved drugs from South America to the United States, with a judicial worker...
Avatar
spot_img
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica