General news

Peru to suffer energy shortage in 2016

Monday, January 07, 2013

BY EDUARDO SOSA
Cesar Butrón,Chairman of the Economic Operation of Interconnected System (COES) expressed that, if new energy projects are not materialize, by 2016 Peru will present a structural problem in the system that will result in energy rationing.
Butron comment that “the energy demand is guaranteed until 2016, but we see that after this year there is no more specific energy generation projects. If these projects are not generated, and demand continues to grow, it will present a structural problem of rationing.”
He mentioned that, although currently there is no danger of rationing, the national risk, in any contingency, having to reduce supply.
“In addition, our reserve level is not adecuate to our demand, we are soley dependent the gas pipeline (Camisea), which in any contingency, such as failure- of a large center- the supply would be reduce” he added.
In that regard, he noted that in the short term, there is no measure that can be done to solve the dependency to a single product.
“Unfortunately you can not solve the structural problem of relying on a single pipeline in 2013 or 2014 because the solutions, such as converting to dual thermal plants, requires at least three years work,” he estimated. On average each year the national system requires incorporating 400 megawatts (MW) of new capacity for each power unit. Demand grows at 5.5% annually and by 2016 it will be over 10%.
The data
A few weeks ago the Central Reserve Bank (BCR) indicated that there is a risk of rationing for the next two years that would affect some 250 large companies.

See original post is Spanish by clicking, here.