Bright Days Ahead: Understanding Electrical Rationing in Costa Rica
After a period of back and forth, residents of Las Catalinas and across Costa Rica have received confirmation that there will be no electrical rationing on Wednesday, May 15th, or Thursday, May 16th. The scheduling and affected areas are being coordinated by a technical team from ICE known as DOCSE, and due to increased rainfall, the rationing has been canceled.
What is Causing the Electrical Rationing in Costa Rica
El Niño weather patterns have caused a critical decrease in rainfall and therefore the hydroelectric plant’s source of water flow, as well as a reduction in Central American winds. It was announced that rationing actions were needed to preserve our resources and ensure sustainable electric service throughout the country, but due to heavy rainfall, this rationing has been waived as of now.
How Long Will Power Outages Last
If electrical service is suspended, the outages will have a maximum duration of three hours, once per day. According to ICE, these will be short-term cuts, never lasting the entire day. Power outages will only occur from Monday to Friday and will be between the hours of 5:00 AM and 8:00 PM.
How to Find Out if Power Cuts will Affect your Day
Check the rationing schedules on the CoopeGuanacaste website here, or on the ICE Group website here by entering the NISE or data such as province, canton, district, and community. Each company that distributes electrical services will publish the power cuts with one day’s notice. For example, the cuts on Friday, May 17th must be communicated on Thursday, May 16th.
Keep an eye on local news and these websites for the latest updates over the next week to stay abreast of developments.