Low Rainfall Has ICE On Alert And Cause of Increased Thermal Electric Generation

The low rainfall this season is affecting the production of hydro-electric power, forcing the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE) to increase spending in diesel and bunker fuels to meet demand.

ICE president, Teófilo de la Torre, in the midst of a business forum on the future of electricity in Costa Rica, said the state power company has had to spend more than ¢40 billion colones this year for the purchase of fuels.


Lake Arenal Dam  is a reservoir in Costa Rica formed by enlarging an existing small lake of the same name by the completion of the Lake Arenal Dam in 1979.

The expenditure doubles the amount for fuel purchases granted by the Regulatory Authority for Public Services (Aresep) for the entire year, which could mean future increases in electricity tariffs, although the percentage is not yet known.

One of the concerns of ICE is the low water reservoir levels at Arenal, which is the main backup for energy in the summer or dry season. During the summer the Arenal hydroelectric generating plant works at full capacity, lowering the water levels of the reservoir, which is then replenished during the rainy season.



"We are in a very adverse hydrological phenomenon (...). ICE has found its own plants a reduction in generation. The Arenal reservoir level is lower than previously projected and higher thermal generation than projected", said De la Torre.

De la Torre explained that the current level is 534.5 metres above seal level, a half metre (18 inches) below the minimum and if the situation does not reverse in the coming months, the outlook for the summer months would be much more complex than expected.

According to the latest forecast by the Instituto Meteorológico Nacional (IMN) - national weather service - the El Niño phenomenon since last month will mean less rainfall until next March.

This condition, says the IMN, is more acute in the North Pacific and Central Valley.