Costa Rica is suffering its worst drought in decades and is ordering electricity rationing

Hit by its worst drought in 50 years, Costa Rica announced an electricity rationing plan on Thursday, blaming a severe lack of rainfall that has hampered hydropower plants.

The Central American country, famous for its beaches and lush landscapes that fuel ecotourism, normally gets about 70% of its electricity supply from its power stations. The state-owned electricity company ICE has partly blamed the drought on the weather phenomenon known as El Nino.

Roberto Quiros, ICE’s electricity director, described water levels in key reservoirs as “critical” and added that the current El Nino is the most severe on record. He also pointed to delays in contractual deliveries from private power plants.

The country last saw electricity rationing in 2007. The power cuts, which will be implemented next Monday, are expected to last up to three hours per day, but will not affect hospitals, industry or other high-voltage customers.

ICE also asks private users to reduce consumption as much as possible. President Rodrigo Chaves has said he prays for rain every day as his requests to buy energy from Costa Rica’s neighbors have proven difficult as power shortages have also hit the broader region.

Widespread power outages due to a heat wave also hit Mexico earlier this week, alongside similar problems in Colombia and Ecuador. The lack of rain has been accompanied by unusually unpredictable wind patterns, ICE officials noted, putting pressure on wind farm supplies.

This week the company announced an alert signaling the possibility of rationing, along with a previously unrealized forecast for impending rainfall. The rainy season in Costa Rica usually starts in late April. Rising demand has further complicated ICE’s ability to meet this demand. Official data for January showed a 9% increase in electricity consumption compared to the same month last year.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)