ICE and private generators begin commercial operation of 31 megawatts with new contracts

By ICE

This is a machine translation of the original press release issued in Spanish

After the endorsement by the Public Services Regulatory Authority (ARESEP) -and having passed the respective technical tests-, this April 15 the Don Pedro and Río Volcán Hydroelectric Power Plants restarted their commercial operation of selling energy to the Costa Rican Electricity Institute ( ICE).

The new contracts – attached to Executive Decree 43,700-MINAE – contemplate the purchase of electricity for five years, with a firm monthly commitment and a maximum capacity of 14 megawatts for Don Pedro and 17 megawatts for Río Volcán (31 megawatts of joint capacity). The agreed energy is equivalent to the demand of 42,000 homes.

“With this milestone, we bring greater strength to the national system. The conditions reached allow us to buy energy at better prices and when we need it. This adds a very significant value to the reduction of the final rates of all clients”, explained Marco Acuña, president of Grupo ICE.

In the coming weeks, ARESEP is expected to grant authorization to the Tapezco Hydroelectric Plant, to carry out the pertinent technical tests that also allow its new entry into commercial operation, under the recently signed contract.