Cocos Island to have new hydroelectric plant

The Olivier River at Cocos Island will generate electricity for the area under an agreement signed Tuesday by the Ministry of Environment, Energy and Telecommunications, the Costa Rican Electricity Institute and the National Power and Light Company.

The river, which flows into the Chatham Bay, will be transported by 480 feet of tubes to a power plant near the coast. This is the second hydroelectric project on the island. The first has operated since 2003 in the Genius River.

The project will cost ₡145 million ($287,000), to be provided by these three institutions

Cocos Island has retained more than 98 percent of its original animal species, and is one of the four most biodiverse regions in Costa Rica. It has a total of 1,600 species, 216 of which are native, according to the United Nations Program for Development.