Costa Rica ban on development in protected areas favors oil based power
Parque Nacional Santa Rosa, Guanacaste, Costa Rica (source: flickr/ Lon&Queta, creative commons)
Alexander Richter
11 Sep 2012
The continued opposition of Costa Rican legislators to geothermal development in protected areas of the country, favors oil-fueled power generation over the great opportunities geothermal offers for reaching renewable and emission goals of the country.
There seems to be an ongoing debate on geothermal energy utilization in Costa Rica. The ban on development of geothermal power projects in protected forest areas of the country forces it to generate power through oil-fueld power generation.
These practical difficulties, so Nacion.com, prevent the country from achieving its goal of carbon neutrality by 2021.
Protecting forests and not allowing geothermal development, forces oil fueled power generation which in turn emits polluting gases and carbon dioxide. The main reasons for the continued block of development are the opposition of Costa Rica legislators.
The Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE) has for years been trying to open development in the Central Volcanic Range and in Guanacaste”. With the continued opposition of any activity in the national parks, the country’s legislators essentially prefer greenhouse gas emitting oil fueld power generation.
The argument follows that the environmental damage of fossil fuel based power generation is far greater than the limited impact of geothermal development in the national forests of Costa Rica.
Source: Costa Rica Star via Nacion.com
