The Government of Costa Rica reported this past week that it will take advantage of surplus resources in the National Electric System (SEN) to develop a green hydrogen economy and, at the same time, move towards decarbonization.
The Costa Rican President, Carlos Alvarado, and the Minister of Environment and Energy, Andrea Meza, signed the decree that formalizes the policy that seeks to take advantage of hydrogen to encourage the green economy.
“The expectations of an increase in the demand for green hydrogen in the coming decades at a global level, open to Costa Rica the possibility of becoming an exporter, mainly because it has a clean energy matrix and enough water, which would help its Instead of developing the infrastructure and the national hydrogen market necessary to help create a decarbonized economy and a solid generation of employment sources,” said the President.
Official data indicate that Costa Rica generates more than 99% of its electrical energy with renewable sources. However, electricity constitutes 26% of the energy consumed in the country, while the transport sector, whose energy source is oil derivatives, represents 64.5%.
An urgent matter
Therefore, it is urgent for the authorities to end the great dependence of the transport sector on oil derivatives that generate 69% of greenhouse gas emissions and thus move towards the energy transition.
All that is needed
“Costa Rica has the talent, it has sufficient human and natural resources to accelerate its decarbonization processes. What we do in this decade is decisive, for this reason all the collaborative efforts between the public and private sectors are essential to achieve progress on this path,”said Minister Meza.
The initiative aims to promote and encourage a green hydrogen economy in Costa Rica by establishing guidelines for the development of a regulatory framework by the Public Services Regulatory Authority (ARESEP), which makes it easier for distribution companies to take advantage of surpluses of the National Electric System (SEN), through its commercial management.
While the Ministry of Environment and Energy will monitor the application of this policy and will be the entity in charge of requesting the preparation of an action plan, receiving a quarterly report of surpluses, preparing an annual report on the results, as well as an assessment biannual objectives.
The design of a hydrogen promotion plan is an action contemplated in the National Decarbonization Plan as one of its key activities. In addition, Costa Rica committed in its new Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) that by 2022 it will have developed a strategy for the development and promotion of green hydrogen in the country.
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