Central America has huge potential in renewable energy, and Enel Green Power is already well established in the region, with a large installed capacity across a wide range of different generation technologies.
According to a recent report by the Worldwatch Institute and the INCAE Business School Central America is region with a huge energy potential, and where renewable energycould meet all of its energy needs. Enel Green Power is already operating in five countries in the region, with more than 700 megawatts of installed capacity across wind, hydro and geothermal power.
In the promising Mexican market, Enel Green Power operates with an installed capacity of 197MW, of which 53MW comes from the Chilatan (14MW), Trojes (8MW) and El Gallo (30,5MW) hydropower plants, and 144 MW from with the Bii Nee Stipa II (74MW) and the Bii Nee Stipa III (70MW) wind farms.
In Guatemala, EGP has five hydropower plants at the Baja Verapaz, Quetzaltenango and San Juan Cotzal sites, which have a total installed capacity of 164MW and employ around 120 people. In March, EGP signed an agreement with San Juan de Cotzal town council for the economic, social, environmental and cultural development of the area surrounding the Palo Viejo plant.
In El Salvador, Enel Green Power owns a 36.2 percent share of LaGeo, a joint-venture with the country’s Government. As part of the project the company manages two geothermal facilities, Ahuachapán and Berlín, which have respective installed capacities of 95MW and 109MW.
In Costa Rica, besides the Volcan (17MW) and Don Pedro (14 MW) hydropower plants already put into service, the Chucás hydroelectric facility is under construction: when completed its installed capacity will amount to 50MW and it will produce about 219 million kilowatt-hours per year, equivalent to the annual consumption of more than 81,000 households. In the same country EGP is also has the 24 MW MOVASA wind farm near Tilarán.
EGP is one of Panama’s major electricity suppliers, thanks to the Fortuna hydropower plant, which has an installed capacity of 300MW and has been operating in the region of Chiriquí since 1984.