Managing an Electricity Shortfall : A Guide for Policy Makers

World Bank

World Bank

关键词: ACTION PLAN;    ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS;    ADMINISTRATIVE PROCESS;    APPROACH;    AUTOMOBILE;   

RP-ID  :  52106

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

【 摘 要 】

Economic growth in Central America hasincreased rapidly over the past 20 years. Currently, thegross domestic product (GDP) per capita for the six CentralAmerican countries of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala,Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama averages approximatelyUS$3,600. However, masked behind this average figure is aSub region of 40 million people with a wide variety ofincome, where more than half of the population lives inpoverty. Energy in general and electricity specifically arecritical for economic development. Electricity is needed topower the machinery that supports income-generatingopportunities. Capital (both domestic and foreign) isattracted to countries that are able to offer an affordable,reliable source of electricity for businesses. Although theindividual electricity markets of Costa Rica, El Salvador,Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama are not large,together the six countries collectively generated nearly 38Terawatt-hours (TWh) of power, equivalent to around 70percent of the annual electricity supply of a medium-sizedcountry in Latin America. The World Bank has undertaken aseries of studies to better understand the energy challengesfacing these six Central American countries that are to bejoined by Sistema de Interconexion Electrica para AmericaCentral (SIEPAC) and to identify actions to promote thesound development of the sector. These studies have beenprepared by a team of policy experts, engineers andeconomists as part of an integrated series entitled theCentral America programmatic energy studies, with a primaryfocus on the electricity subsector. The initial phase ofthis programmatic series includes three modules. The firstmodule is general issues and options; second module ismanaging an electricity shortfall; and the third module isstructure and regulatory challenges. This particulardocument, the managing an electricity shortfall module,provides a framework for action and a broad menu of optionsavailable to policy makers to bridge a supply-demand gap inthe short- to medium-term.