Costa Rica News – The Costa Rican Electricity Institute, ICE, is producing more energy than is needed in the country.
ARESEP is therefore requiring ICE to sell the surplus energy to the Regional Electricity Market, MER.
The surplus must be placed there, as hydroelectric plants are leading to cheaper electricity rates in Costa Rica.
The Arenal reservoir, for example, reached a level much higher than projected.
ARESEP wants to make sure that what ICE produces does not go wasted in 2016 when a new hydroelectric plant opens.
ICE must wisely use the solutions offered by the MER, importing when it is cheaper and exporting as often as possible.
In 2014, the country earned $3.6 million from exported energy. From 2013-2014, the energy imports increased by 310 percent and exports increased 246 percent.
This resulted in $44.4 million in savings in 2014.
