by Rod Hughes

The power rationing that has been plaguing the nation since April 19 was officially ended today by a presidential decree. The sector-by-sector “rolling blackouts” were almost a daily fact of life and caused millions of dollars of losses to business and industry.
The recent rains signalling an end to the dry season was only partly responsible for the resumption of steady service. Today, the Cariblanco plant went on line and tomorrow the “Los Negros” generator near Bagaces is scheduled to be inaugurated.
The government had called a “state of emergency” due to the power crisis and strong criticism directed toward the Costa Rican Electrical Institute (ICE), the country’s energy provider. ICE had said that an exceptionally dry dry season had brought water levels so low that thermal plants (diesel-powered generators) were needed and the budget for fossil fuel had run out. Low levels at Cachi hydroelectric Dam near Cartago were especially critical.
(See previous articles on this newsfeed.)
Yesterday ICE also announced the purchase of two new diesel-powered generators within the next to coming months, to be ready at the beginning of the next dry season.
As the English-language newspaper The Tico Times pointed out, previous administrations have vowed to swear off fossil fuel power generation. If so, just the opposite has been happening these past few years and the ICE purchase announcement rings oddly, a seeming retreat from this avowed policy.