Energy Industry Overview - Electricity is crucial and transformative, underpinning modern life and development [1] - The world is transitioning towards cleaner energy sources to reduce CO2 emissions [2] - Energy consumption is directly linked to a country's GDP and life expectancy [2] Challenges and Opportunities - 2 million people die annually due to cooking with wood, highlighting the need for clean energy access [2] - Power outages demonstrate the dependence on reliable electricity and the importance of infrastructure [1][3] - The challenge lies in producing electricity cleanly and ensuring reliable energy systems [2][5] Transmission Lines Importance - Transmission lines are central to the energy transition, connecting generation with consumption [9][10] - Interconnecting energy systems lowers tariffs and significantly reduces CO2 emissions [16][18] - Investment in transmission infrastructure is essential for reliable and affordable energy [5][6][20]

Energy Consumption and Dependence - Costa Rica relies on petroleum derivatives for 65% of its energy consumption, highlighting a significant dependence on oil producers [3] - A shift towards 75% to 80% dependence on petroleum derivatives is projected if the current trend continues, necessitating a redesign of the energy matrix [4] Energy Transition and Alternatives - A transition to 100% electric vehicles for light transportation (cars, motorcycles, urban buses) by 2050 is proposed, with a projected fleet of nearly 30,000 electric vehicles by the end of 2025 [5] - Heavy vehicles (trucks over 4 tons, inter-provincial buses) should transition to natural gas by 2050, which is claimed to be 24% cleaner than current fossil fuels [6] - Over 90% of countries that are signatories to international environmental agreements use natural gas extensively [7] Electricity Generation and Challenges - The country is experiencing an energy deficit, with electricity demand exceeding production capacity, leading to reliance on electricity imports and diesel/bunker-fueled thermal generation [10] - Over the last 10 years, Costa Rica has spent approximately 408 billion colones on electricity imports and thermal generation [11] - A 3% annual growth in electricity demand would require adding 4500 MW of production capacity by 2050, more than doubling the capacity built in the last 100 years [14] - Projections indicate a need for 17,000 MW by 2075 and 35,600 MW by the end of the 21st century [15] Proposed Solution: Nuclear Energy - Nuclear energy, specifically small modular reactors (SMRs) using molten salt technology, is proposed as a solution to generate the required electricity [18][22] - Nuclear energy is presented as a safer alternative, citing statistics that only 4,000 deaths have occurred in nuclear accidents throughout history, compared to 60 million in traffic accidents [20] - France generates 65% of its electricity from nuclear reactors, and a fifth of the electricity in OECD countries comes from nuclear energy [23] Energy Independence and Future Vision - Costa Rica could achieve a 100% national energy matrix by 2050, composed of one-third natural gas and two-thirds electricity, including nuclear [24]