Since the arrival of the government of President Nayib Bukele, the transformation of the energy sector has been promoted, betting aggressively on renewable energy projects. This was emphasized by Daniel Álvarez, president of the Lempa River Hydroelectric Executive Commission (CEL), at the European Union Investment Forum.
Álvarez explained at the event that the country is currently investing in the generation and exploitation of new renewable energy sources, the maintenance and development of current energy generation sources, and the review and recomposition of the energy matrix.
The official also explained that this investment meant that now 80% of the energy consumed by El Salvador is renewable. Likewise, he announced that the government is exploring venturing into the energy generated by means of sea waves.
“Because we have one of the most impressive beaches in the world, with strong and constant waves, we are betting for the first time in history on energy from the sea or tidal energy” — said the president of CEL.
He also explained that there are 219 megawatts (MW) of photovoltaic generation installed in the country, which inject their energy into the national transmission system.
He added that the autonomous company seeks to create a wind farm in Metapán, so they are working on updating its final design. The electricity generation capacity to be installed is approximately 30 MW in the first phase.
On the other hand, CEL also reported that it is committed to projects that not only generate energy, but also have an environmental component. That is why the construction project of the first biogas power plant in the Acelhuate River is being carried out, which will allow the decontamination of 70% of the wastewater in the Metropolitan Area of San Salvador.