The Case Study

The Diquis Hydroelectric Project, currently in the planning stages, depends on the water of the Terraba River which currently discharges into the Terraba Sierpe Wetland.  The Terraba Sierpe Wetland is a RAMSAR Site, which would be affected by a change in the Terraba River flows due to the Dam Operations.  This Case Study explores questions such as the potential impacts of the Diquis Dam on the ecosytem of the Terraba Sierpe Wetland, and possible ways to reduce this impact.

Read the Executive Summary here. 

The Workshop

The Stanford Woods Institute and the Osa and Golfito Initiative hosted a  workshop on May 3, 2013 to explore the potential for ecological design and operation of dams, specifically Costa Rica’s planned Diquis and Savegre hydroelectric projects. Dam design and operation experts met with representatives from the Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE is the Spanish acronym), the country’s government-run electricity and telecommunications services provider, to discuss potential challenges and opportunities.

With both increasing national energy demands and the move toward a regional energy market, the pressure is on ICE to design and develop additional sources of energy. However ICE is not just interested in designing their dams for maximum energy production, its goal is also to generate the best possible social and environmental outcomes for all involved.

The workshop agenda and presentations are available for download here in PDF format.  More information can also be found on the official Diquis website: http://grupoice.com/wps/portal/proyhidr_diquis