energy

Drought threatens power supply

The Autoridad Nacional de Servicios Públicos (Asep) may have to make temporary power cuts.

Cortesía/AES Panamá

no rain: Water levels at the Fortuna Reservoir are critically low. 1026102

Víctor Urrutia, an administrator for the Autoridad Nacional de Servicios Públicos (Asep), told La Prensa that there could be power cuts within two weeks if energy consumption remains at current levels and the winter rains don´t arrive.

Water levels at the Fortuna Reservoir and hydroelectric plant in Chiriquí are within 10 meters of reaching a critical low point, and Lake Bayano is only 2 meters away from that point. "The levels are falling rapidly. We really need the rains," said Urrutia.

In the case of a power crisis, Urrutia said Asep has a plan that includes cutting back on the energy supply, but he preferred not to reveal any further details. "In any case, we hope that will not have to do it," he added.

Teófilo de la Torre, director of the Sistema de Interconexión Eléctrica de América Central (Siepac), explained that the entire region is experiencing an energy crisis, and Nicaragua and El Salvador have already instituted temporary cuts.

"In these cases, the temporary cuts typically occur at different times and in different areas of the city," said de la Torre, who predicted that similar power cuts in Panama would not last long.

De la Torre favored the idea of developing a regional energy market by applying the Reglamento del Mercado Eléctrico Regional, adopted by Central American countries in 2005, to the national energy market. This homogenization would have to be implemented by 2010, when a new power transmission line between Guatemala and Panama will open up, increasing the power grid interconnection capacity from 60 megawatts to 300 megawatts.