Despite Costa Rica’s talk of its commitment to promoting consumer-based renewable energy sources to produce electricity, the country is lagging in its efforts. One setback involves the country’s electricity distributors, who some say are dragging their feet on requirements to offer customers the option of connecting to the national grid with small-scale electricity generation projects from renewable sources.
The Public Services Regulatory Authority (ARESEP) approved a 3.7 percent increase in electricity rates requested by the Costa Rica Electricity Institute (ICE). The new rate was published in the government's official newspaper La Gaceta on Thursday.
The Costa Rican Chamber of Industries on Thursday blasted a new 3.7 percent increase in electricity rates requested by the Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE). Chamber leaders urged the Public Services Regulatory Authority to reject the request, noting that ICE in July promised to cut spending and stabilize its finances in order to prevent electricity rate hikes for the next year and a half.
Although the National Meteorological Institute (IMN) confirmed a drop in rainfall levels for the current rainy season, the Costa Rica Electricity Institute (ICE) has ruled out power outages later this year.
Geothermal energy, the productive use of the vast quantity of thermal energy within Earth's crust, is one of the few renewable, low-carbon emission energy sources that can consistently generate power 24-hours a day, irrespective of the season.
Although President Luis Guillermo Solís had promised not to use Ticos' euphoria over Costa Rica’s performance at the World Cup to promote increases in public utility rates, a 5.38 percent hike in electricity went into effect last Tuesday.
President Luis Guillermo Solís called for a review of gasoline prices as part of a wider examination of Costa Rica’s energy options in the face of climate change and rising energy costs, during a press conference on Tuesday.
Business confidence in Costa Rica dropped by 10 percent compared to the same period last year, a survey by the Union of Private-Sector Chambers and Associations said. Confidence dropped in every sector surveyed.
The start of the month of April on Tuesday will bring with it an increase in electricity rates recently approved by the Public Services Regulatory Authority (ARESEP). The agency on Monday also said they are reviewing requests for more hikes on the per-liter price of fuel.
Electricity rates will increase by between 6.87 percent and 9.81 percent, depending on the service provider, starting next month, the Public Services Regulatory Authority (ARESEP) said on Friday.
