Costa Rica hits record electricity generation from 99% renewable sources

Las Pailas plant, Costa Rica

subscribe

COSTA RICA -

During the whole month of May 2019, Costa Rica generated a total of 984.19 gigawatt hours of electricity, the highest in the country’s history. What makes this feat even more impressive is the fact that 99.99% of this energy came from renewable sources – hydropower, wind, biomass, solar, and geothermal.

With such a high generation rate, the state power company Instituto Costariccense de Electricidad (ICE) were able to suspend energy imports from the first week of May and shifted to exports. To date, the power company continues to sell electricity to the Regional Electricity Market (REM) which generates revenues and is likely to reduce local electricity rates.

The record-breaking power generation was made possible by optimization of the country’s renewable sources. As the period coincided with the tail end of the dry season, the geothermal quota had to be increased.

Costa Rica remains a leader in renewable power generation. In 2015, more than 98% of the country’s electrical generation came from renewable sources. Through the years, this figure has remained fairly constant despite dry bouts caused by the El Niño phenomenon.

Related News

washington-ag-leads-legal-challenge-against-trumps-energy-emergency

Washington AG Leads Legal Challenge Against Trump’s Energy Emergency

SEATTLE - In a significant legal move, Washington State Attorney General Nick Brown has spearheaded a coalition of 15 states in filing a lawsuit against President Donald Trump's executive order declaring a national energy emergency. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Seattle on May 9, 2025, challenges the legality of the emergency declaration, which aims to expedite permitting processes for fossil fuel projects by bypassing key environmental reviews.

Background of the Energy Emergency Declaration

President Trump's executive order, issued on January 20, 2025, asserts that the United States faces an inadequate and unreliable energy grid, particularly affecting the Northeast…

READ MORE
integrating-ai-data-centers-into-canadas-electricity-grids

Integrating AI Data Centers into Canada's Electricity Grids

READ MORE

Severe heat: 5 electricity blackout risks facing the entire U.S., not just Texas

READ MORE

Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear complex

Energy authority clears TEPCO to restart Niigata nuclear plant

READ MORE

bill gates

Bill Gates’ Nuclear Startup Unveils Mini-Reactor Design Including Molten Salt Energy Storage

READ MORE