Suffering Worst Drought in Decades, Costa Rica Orders Electricity Rationing

• Struck by the worst drought in five decades, Costa Rica announced an electricity rationing plan on Thursday, May 9, blaming a severe lack of rainfall that has hobbled hydroelectric plants.
• The Central American nation, famed for its beaches and lush landscapes that power ecotourism normally gets about 70% of its electricity supply from the plants. State-run electricity company ICE (Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad; English: Costa Rican Institute of Electricity) has blamed the drought conditions partly on the weather phenomenon known as El Nino.
• Roberto Quiros, ICE's electricity director, described water levels at main reservoirs as "critical," adding the current El Nino is the most severe on record. He also pointed to delays in contracted deliveries from private power plants.
• The country last saw electricity rationing in 2007. The power cuts, implemented on Monday, May 13, are scheduled to last up to three hours daily but will not affect hospitals, industry or other high-voltage customers.
• ICE is also asking residential users to reduce consumption as much as possible. Widespread power cuts blamed on a heat wave also hit Mexico earlier this week, in addition to similar problems in Colombia and Ecuador.

 (Source: Reuters)