Costa Rica Announces Electricity Rationing Plan Amid Drought

As Costa Rica grapples with the worst drought in five decades, the government announced an electricity rationing plan for citizens due to a severe lack of rainfall affecting hydroelectric plants.

Hydroelectric plants are responsible for supplying 70% of the Central American country's electricity, and the state-run electricity company, ICE, has partially blamed the drought problem on El Niño. The present situation has forced the Costa Rican government to announce the electricity rationing plan.

Roberto Quiros, the electricity director of ICE, expressed concern over the critically low water levels in the main reservoirs, calling it the most severe ever recorded El Niño, Reuters reported.

He also pointed out that there have been delays from the private power plants, leading to power outages in the country. Before this, the country had witnessed electricity rationing in 2007. The government is now all set to implement power cuts from Monday onwards, and these cuts are scheduled to last up to three hours daily.

However, these power outages won't impact hospitals, industry, or other high-voltage customers. ICE urged its residential users to reduce the usage of electricity as much as possible. President Rodrigo Chaves said that he is praying every day for rain, revealing that his attempts to get energy from the country's neighbors have been futile as power shortages are affecting the broader region.

Earlier this week, Mexico also experienced power cuts due to a heat wave, alongside Colombia and Ecuador.

Costa Rica's power supply has been mainly impacted by the lack of rainfall that just didn't impact the hydroelectric but also wind farms. This week, ICE officials highlighted the unpredictability of wind patterns, which further created challenges for supplying the energy.

Despite an alert from the company and hopes for rainfall, Costa Rica's rainy season - which usually starts at the end of April - has not begun yet. Moreover, increased demand has made it challenging for ICE to meet electricity needs.

As per the data, January showed a 9% rise in consumption compared to the previous year.