Salvador energy storage building

What is the energy supply in El Salvador?

In 2019, total energy supply in El Salvador reached around 156 600 TJ (see Figure 5). That year, the renewable energy source with the largest share as part of the primary energy supply was bioenergy (19.6%), followed by hydropower (3.5%), geothermal energy (3.4%), and solar energy (1.1%) (CNE, 2020).

Why is the El Salvador power project important?

The power project, which began taking shape in 2013, is important for El Salvador because it offers cleaner energy production, replacing heavy fuel oil for power generation while offering flexibility the country needs to support the addition of more renewable energy resources to the national power grid.

Who owns El Salvador's electricity?

CEL is an independent, public electric utility in charge of developing, conserving, managing, and using the energy resources of El Salvador. Clean energy is generated in four hydropower plants located at diferent points in the Lempa River basin. ETESAL is El Salvador’s transmission system owner.

Where does El Salvador's energy come from?

Energy context The bulk of El Salvador’s primary energy comes from fossil fuels. As shown in Figure 4, the total energy supply sources since 2010 have mainly been oil derivatives, such as gasoline, diesel, liquid petroleum gas (LPG), kerosene and bunker fuel (CNE, 2020).

Why is El Salvador a big importer of electricity?

El Salvador currently imports about one-quarter of the country’s total electricity, making it the largest importer of electricity in Central America. Government officials have said the heavy reliance on imported power creates energy security risks, along with providing an economic challenge.

What is El Salvador's Energy Cabinet?

The Energy Cabinet is composed by the Presidential Commissioner for Operations and Government Cabinet, MINEC, CNE, CEL, SIGET and the DC. Until the 1990s, El Salvador maintained a vertically integrated structure in its power sector, with CEL as the country’s only state-owned generator.