Dry Season Narrows Costa Mar's Hydro Margins

The Río Esperanto monitoring station at Punta Negra reported a water level of 2.14 metres on October 31, down from 2.67 metres on the same date last year. The Federal Hydro Authority has begun preliminary modelling for a possible export reduction to Tierra Verde and Oriente Moderno, signalling that the region's ability to sell power beyond its own borders may shrink by November.

Costa Mar has relied on its all-hydro grid since the Federation's founding, and for the past two decades the region's water reserves have held steady enough to supply domestic demand and generate modest export revenue. The current dry season, which typically runs from December through April, is arriving early and harder than forecasters anticipated.

Governor Solomon Adeyemi convened the Regional Assembly's Energy Committee on Thursday to review contingency plans. The Marine Ministry and the Eco-Tourism Cooperative are already bracing for power rationing that could affect desalination plants and refrigeration at processing facilities for marine exports.