From the ICE Group
Costa Rica added 98.58% of the renewable energy in its National Electric System (SEN) in the first six months of 2022. The preliminary data confirms the trend that has been ongoing since 2015 and cements the country as a leader in clean energy generation with its diversity of diversification and complementary resources.
The organization REN21, which specializes in sustainable energy, highlighted our country’s task in its 2021 report published last month. The study ranked Costa Rica, along with Finland, Iceland, Norway, Paraguay and Uruguay, as the nations leading renewable energy production on the planet.
Between January and June 2022, water provided 70.08% of the electricity from national plants. The second contribution comes from geothermal energy with 14.18%, followed by wind with 13.46%. Biomass and solar accounted for 0.86%, and finally thermal power plant support accounted for 1.42%.
“The role of clean electricity is critical to consolidating initiatives to decarbonize the economy, which include public and private transport, industrial processes and cooking. Our goal is to stay in the highest part of the renewable threshold,” explained Marco Acuña, President of Grupo ICE.
Of the 6,213.45 gigawatt-hours (GWh) produced during the period, the country exported 324 GWh to the regional electricity market (MER), with revenue of $30.1 million, according to preliminary data. These resources are included in the calculation of the variable cost of generation (CVG) and contribute to the operation of the SEN for the benefit of all consumers.
In the second half of 2022, the share of renewable energy will increase as we enter the wettest time of the year. The Costa Rican Institute of Electricity (ICE) regulatory reservoirs – which act as the SEN’s firm base – are showing normal values within historical averages.