Regional Hub for SE4All in the Latin America and Caribbean Region (2nd SE4All Forum Commitments)

Move from a traditional hydroelectric matrix to a climate smart one increasing the use of geothermal energy. In the late 90s Costa Rican electricity was mainly generated with hydroelectricity. The country decided to diversify its matrix by adding geothermal, wind, biomass and more recently solar energy; however, hydroelectricity still represents 70% of the electricity matrix. In dry years, as 2012-2013 the country had to complement the energy supply by burning fossil fuels, increasing its consumption from 10% to 25% of the total electricity production. As a long-term response, with help from ECLAC and BID, the country is exploring the further increase of the geothermal component from 14% to 40% of the total. A $600 million loan from Japan will help Costa Rica to increase the number of geothermal plants and reduce dependency from hydro; hence, become more climate resilient. Contrastingly, other countries in the region such as Guatemala, Panama and Colombia decided to use coal as backup for the dry years.