ICE cancels Reventazón plant start-up scheduled for July 17; will be closed for several weeks

The Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE) will maintain Stop running The Reventazón hydroelectric plant in Siquirres (Limón), which will be undergoing maintenance until next month, will start operating on July 17, according to the company.

The reasons cited by the institute for keeping the structure inoperative include monitoring a condition it describes as “unforeseen”, detected in the rock mass in 2017, which is linked to natural movements that have affected the structure over the years.

ICE said in a statement that “once these works are completed, the plant will be operational as normal,” adding that Reventazón could be operational “within a few weeks.”

As explained in the press release, the plant will continue to operate without the supply of energy, as climatic conditions and the availability of resources in national and regional markets allow the Institute to remain stopped with the aim of guaranteeing the correct and continuous operation of the water plant.

Maintenance, cleaning and inspection of all components of the Reventazón plant; The restoration works, including the reservoir, started on June 23, according to a technical report from the ICE Electrical System Operation and Control Department (Docse).

Reports say the facility will return to 100% operations after 25 days of maintenance. However, following this, it has been decided that the turbines will not be started for several weeks.

In December 2022, the institute sent a report to the National Stock Exchange (BNV) confirming that the hydropower plant had geological problems that caused cracks, leaks and land displacement.

been: ‘Complex and delicate’ geological problems deteriorate ICE’s Reventazón plant

ICE disclosed this information in “relevant facts,” which are information posted on the stock market by companies that issue public debt bonds, including the institute.

The company made the above notification in response to a request made by the Investment Fund and Issuer Supervision Department (Sugeval) of the General Securities Supervisory Authority on December 2, 2022.

That day, nation The institute revealed that it was looking for international experts to solve the deterioration suffered by the multi-million dollar plant even before it was inaugurated in September 2016. According to the entity’s report, the problem is “complex and delicate”.

It is a $1.567 billion project, paid for by electricity bills.

In a note to BNV, ICE attributed the cracking and deterioration of the structure to “unpredictable geological conditions in the rock mass in which the remaining landfill is constructed.”

As part of… Related factsICE also confirmed that the Reventazón reservoir has not recently reached 100% of its capacity to ensure operational safety.

Likewise, he said he has been doing material injection work in the rock mass (where there are leaks) for many years to ensure waterproof conditions.