Bolivia Increases Electricity Production

Bolivia Increases Electricity Production La Paz, Jul 19. – Bolivia's national electric company (ENDE) said four new hydroelectric works will supply the national distribution system with a total of 1,226 megawatts (MW)to the current 900 MW now supplied.

According to a report from the state company to which Prensa Latina had access, the four projects are the Misicuni (Cochabamba) Tahuamanu (Pando), the thermoelectric plant south of Tarija, and Cachuela Esperanza, in the Amazon region of Beni.

The ENDE reported that the Beni project will be the largest, involving the construction of a dam over the Beni River and a hydroelectric plant that can supply 800 MW.

This project began in August 2008 with a contract between the Bolivian institution and the Canadian company Tecsult-Aecom (Tecsult International Limited) for studies and final design of the plant.

Another important project is the thermoelectric plant south of Tarija that will have an initial production capacity of 120 MW.

The Bolivian government also confirmed the construction of a hydroelectric plant on the Tahuamanu River in Pando with an initial power of 6 MW.

The government program "Electricity to Live with Dignity" also includes an increase of coverage in rural regions from 33 to 53 percent by 2015, which means some 210,000 rural homes will be supplied with electric power by that year.(Prensa Latina)