El Niño Will Flex Its..."Power" On Panama

[Dimitri Svolos]

The devastating effects of El Niño, in addition to the increase of fuel prices, will affect the price and the reliability of Panama's energy supply. Thus, sensible use of energy will be a key factor for Panama in the months to come.

El Niño will provoke an intense dry period from October until April, 2010, it is for it that the authorities insist that the efficient use of the energy will be key to managing the impact.

Panamanians must prepare in advance and take measures regarding saving energy in the homes, since should there be scarcity of rains, the hydroelectric infrastructure will turn out to be affected by the low water level in its reservoirs.

Before this occurs the Department of Energy will initiate a campaign on electric power saving, in collaboration with the Company of Electrical Transmission (ETESA), the Distribution companies of Energy and the Technological University of Panama.

Turning off the lights and the electrical devices when we are not using them, adjusting the temperature of the air conditioning to a minimum of 23 grades and to setting the temperature of the coolers to halfway are habits of efficient consumption that Panamanians can apply at home and at work to save energy.

Panama's electrical grid is already overtaxed since the recent construction boom was not followed by sensible long-term urban planning and hardware retrofitting. For that I am preparing myself for power outages and low-voltage bouts.

I am also curious to see how the new administration will handle a possible inability of the Electrical Companies to meet demand. After all, the government is presently battling it out with these companies on the legislative arena, in an effort to lower power costs for Panamanians.

Call me a pessimist but I don't think that our power bills will be lower any time soon.

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