A mine power plant could reduce costs

After the state order to close the mine Cobre Panamá, located in Donoso, Colón provincea number of questions arose about the management of the various areas that were built at that time for the work of the project, among them i power plant.

It is a plant that provides approximately 300 megawatts, which are used in various areas of the mine, including an electric fleet of trucks, the excess of which also contributes to the national grid, through interconnection with the substation Llano Sánchez, Aguadulce, Coclé province; However, a few weeks ago it became known that this process no longer works.

Namely, January 17 Panamanian copper published the document publicly an initial conservation and safe management plan delivered Ministry of Trade and Industry (Mici)detailing that the plant is maintained and operating, providing direct power to the mine for conservation activities, and that the plant also has the potential to provide significant support to the grid during the current drought, “helping to reduce pressure on hydroelectric plants and lower energy prices in the country.”

It is this last fact that is valid, considering the poor electricity service in the country, which generates constant complaints and claims; primarily because new electricity tariffs came into effect on January 1st and will be valid throughout the country during the first half of 2024, with increases ranging between 2% and 15%, depending on each client’s distributor. He approved this adjustment National Authority for Public Services (ASEP) December 28, 2023

Indeed, the authorities explained that the increase was partially attributed to the cost of generator power. Furthermore, they pointed out that The phenomenon of the child worsens the impact on the availability of water resources, thus affecting the functioning hydroelectric power plants.

About the plant

For some, this issue is still a matter of debate, because they believe that the energy from the mentioned plant should not be sent to the national power system, except in emergency cases, because the raw material from the plant thermoelectric is coal; although Panamanian copper previously reported that it consists of two units of 150 MW each, and that it was built to reduce emissions. From design, the plant establishes four fundamental environmental controls: low-sulfur coal, a selective catalytic reduction system, fly ash filters, and a gas treatment system. In addition, it has a monitoring system that guarantees that emissions during operation will be below international standards, which are even lower than those established by national legislation.

In the opinion of expert in environmental management and planning, Roderick Gutiérrez, If Panama already has thermoelectric already builtwhere the financing was private, and 300 MW was planned for production, the most reasonable and appropriate thing would be to use it and make it part of the country’s electricity production system, since having it and not using it would be contradictory because of what happens to it The phenomenon of El Niño and hydroelectric power.

For Gutierrezit must be taken into account that the infrastructure, environmental regulations, national and international, and existing regulations, require greater control in terms of gas emissions, in this case, it is to use filters that have the capacity to reduce the amount of particles that can be emitted into the air.

“Thermal power plants are no longer the same as they were 10, 15 years ago where we saw black smoke, today you see that the smoke is white and that white smoke is actually water vapor that only comes out. that chimney, because everything is actually contained within the same infrastructure and recirculates and produces internal energy.

When asked about the contamination that occurred in the specific case of the fire at t Cerro Patacón Landfillwhose smoke he monopolized Panama City and one thermal power plantGutiérrez reminded that there are controls in the latter.

“…Both the thermal power plant and the landfill generate gases, but the big difference is that one (thermal power plant) remains closed, has appropriate filters, is legal, in accordance with the regulations, and the other (Cerro Patacón) is not; That is why the thermal power plant must not pollute, due to legal regulations and the technology that exists today.