by Patricia Recio

Marco Acuña believes that the energy deficit caused by the El Niño phenomenon should have been declared a national emergency.

The executive president of the Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE), Marco Acuña Mora, expressed disappointment that other government entities did not join them in the activity to announce the power cuts that the country will face due to the deficit in energy production caused by low reservoir levels due to the El Niño phenomenon.

“We miss the fact that other institutions are not here with us facing this situation,” Acuña said during Thursday’s press conference, where it was confirmed that electricity rationing will begin next Monday, May 13.

The official stated that the impact of El Niño brought an unprecedented drought and is considered a force majeure event, so in his view, the issue of energy generation shortfalls warranted a declaration of a national emergency, which did not happen.

In response to Acuña’s statements, the Minister of Communication, Jorge Rodríguez Vives, affirmed that the Executive Branch has been working together to respond to this issue. However, he said, ICE is the one leading the issue because it is “particularly affected.”

According to him, there is strategic coordination between the National Emergency Commission (CNE), the environmental sector, and the agricultural sector to address these phenomena.

The CNE responded similarly by stating that there is “close coordination” with all institutions of the National Risk Management System, including ICE, to address emergencies caused by El Niño and La Niña phenomena.

“Today’s situation is different from what was expected, as sometimes happens with climatic issues. We will continue with the necessary coordination to cooperate as much as possible in this scenario and in future scenarios that may arise to minimize the impact on the population,” they stated.

The power cuts warned by ICE since last Monday will be implemented by all electricity distribution companies, which will notify their subscribers about the schedules and areas where the suspensions will occur. Rationing will be applied between 5 a.m. and 10 p.m. for periods of one to three hours in each sector.

The institution assured that there will be minimal impact on health centers, industrial sectors, and hospitals.

Reference