Companies show interest in Costa Rican hydrogen market
The energy matrix will be used as a competitive advantage to develop a new industry that will represent a great boost to the Costa Rican economy.
The Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE) and Australian company Kadelco has signed an MoU that seeks to identify electricity supply conditions for the production of green hydrogen in Costa Rica.
It will establish mechanisms for the exchange of technical information on quality, power, availability, carbon content and seasonality of the electricity supply and joint cooperation in Costa Rica.
The government of Costa Rica announced that at least three foreign companies – one of them is Kadelco – are interested in building green hydrogen plants with renewable electricity from the National Electric System.
The announcement is made after promoting measures that create the enabling conditions for this type of investment.
Carlos Alvarado Quesada, the President of Costa Rica, said, “We have promulgated the policy for the use of the surpluses of the National Electric System, promoting the joint construction of the National Hydrogen Strategy and the recent authorisation to the ice by ARESEP of the Direct Users tariff (T-UD), among other actions.”
Andrea Meza Murillo, the Minister of Environment, added, “We are working on the establishment of enabling conditions that include the policy and movement of resources for the development of a green hydrogen economy as well as the joint construction of a National Hydrogen Strategy that unifies the different initiatives of the sectors involved in a country vision.”
Kenneth Lobo, director at ICE, noted, “We will continue to work, with other institutions, to create conditions for the installation of companies of this type on national soil and thus promote the energy transition, the decarbonisation of the economy and the economic reactivation.”
Faye Duncan, the CEO of Kadelco, explained, “The National Decarbonization Plan has been a key element in our decision.”
The Regulatory Authority of Public Services (ARESEP) has set up the authorisation for the Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE) of the Direct Users (T-UD) and high voltage tariff to apply it to companies interested in the development of a green hydrogen economy.
Electricity tariffs for hydrogen production will be available from 1st April 2022, corresponding to the generation service stage without including the cost of high-voltage transmission. This rate has prices of 3.9 ¢/US$ for the night period and 5.5 ¢/US$ for the peak period for each kWh of energy consumed.
