CentAm roundup: Hybrid plants, transmission green light, contract renegotiations

El Salvadoran power producer Compañía Eléctrica Cucumacayán (CECSA) began operations of what it touts as the first state-operated hybrid plants.

The projects are in San Matías, La Libertad department, and San Luis, Santa Ana department, reported CECSA, a unit of power transmission authority ENTE that operates small hydro plants.

San Matías boasts 4.1MW hydro and 625kW solar, and San Luis, 0.3MW solar and 0.7MW hydro. Combined investment was US$1.6mn.

Transmission green light

Guatemala’s power regulator CNEE authorized Transportadora de Energía de Centroamérica (Trecsa) to carry out the 230/69kV Atlántico substation, the 47km 230kV Morales-Atlántico transmission line and the overhaul of the 230/69kV Morales substation and the 69kV La Ruidosa-Genor line.

Trecsa has until June 30, 2026, to put the infrastructure into operation.

Contract renegotiations

Initial congressional hearings related to the Honduran government’s push to renegotiate power purchase agreements has led to calls for a more detailed evaluation.

Private enterprise council Cohep and mechanical engineers, electricians and chemists' professional body CIMEQH asked lawmakers and state power company Enee to review each contract individually.

Cohep argues that Enee’s board has not allocated sufficient time for detailed analysis.

For its part, Enee described Cohep’s stance as “hostile,” claiming that as part of Enee’s board, the council has had access to related documents for four months.