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Panama to suspend new wind, solar plant approvals – report

DIANA Hristova | SEENEWS — Panama’s state-run grid operator Empresa de Transmision Electrica SA (Etesa) has asked utility regulator Asep to suspend the approval of new licences for wind and photovoltaic projects until the completion of a study, local daily La Prensa said Wednesday. Etesa needs a plan how to integrate the plants into the grid and avoid instability, given that many small plants were being installed directly in the distribution network, CEO Ivan Barria was quoted as saying. The study will take nearly two months. The regulator has already issued definitive licences for 1,100 MW of wind and solar […]

By Derick Lila July 27, 20150

DIANA Hristova | SEENEWS —
Panama’s state-run grid operator Empresa de Transmision Electrica SA (Etesa) has asked utility regulator Asep to suspend the approval of new licences for wind and photovoltaic projects until the completion of a study, local daily La Prensa said Wednesday.

Etesa needs a plan how to integrate the plants into the grid and avoid instability, given that many small plants were being installed directly in the distribution network, CEO Ivan Barria was quoted as saying. The study will take nearly two months.

The regulator has already issued definitive licences for 1,100 MW of wind and solar facilities, some 100 MW of which will soon go into operation, while an additional 2,076 MW is still pending definitive approval. Most projects are small-scale ones of 10 MW, covered by incentives.

The country’s power demand currently stands at 1,600 MW.

Derick Lila

Derick is a Clark University graduate—and Fulbright alumni with a Master's Degree in Environmental Science, and Policy. He has over a decade of solar industry research, marketing, and content strategy experience.