Costa Mar's dry-season power margins narrow as demand surges

Puerto Azul — The Costa Mar Hydro Authority released its mid-July readings on Thursday, showing the three main reservoirs at 58 percent of capacity, down from 64 percent at the same point last year. The decline tracks a drier-than-normal May and June, when rainfall across the isthmus fell 22 percent below the thirty-year average, according to the Meteorological Station at Punta Verde.

The tightening margins carry weight beyond the region. Costa Mar supplies 31 percent of the federal grid's power to Tierra Verde and Nord Europa by contract, a commitment that holds even during the dry season. The Authority's director, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the region would meet its export obligations but acknowledged that the gap between supply and peak domestic demand has narrowed to 8 percent — down from the historical average of 14 percent.

Tourism arrivals in Puerto Azul and the coastal towns have rebounded to pre-pandemic levels this summer, driving occupancy rates above 80 percent at the main resorts. The dive cooperatives report record booking volumes through August. Neither trend was factored into the Authority's original forecast when it was filed in March.