Bright Side of the Rain in Panama

  The heavy rains that are causing flooding, mudslides and damage to homes in Panama's interior are also raising water levels at Panama's hydroelectric dams according to a statement released by Panama's electric transmission authority. As Panama generates half of its electricity from hydro more rain is a bonus and tends to reduce the cost of electricity. According to the statement the water level at Panama's Fortuna dam went up six meters in the last few days and half a meter at the Bayano reservior. The weather forcast is for continued rain and chance of thunderstorms across the interior for the next five days or more.

The Fortuna hydroelectric dam where the water level went up six meters in the last few days has been in operation since 1984 and is capable of generating 300 megawatts of power, nearly a third of Panama's electric needs. This dam is built in a canyon in Chiriqui.

The Bayano dam is in the Darien where the level of the 87,500 acre reservoir went up half a meter.  Bayano was built in 1976 and is second only to Fortuna in power generating capacity with a 150 megawatt capacity. When this dam was built its reservoir flooded lands of indigenous tribes in the Darien.

Hydroelectric power is less expensive to generate than fossil fuel derived power by about a third. The main cost is in construction of the facility. As the cost of fossil fuels keeps rising Panama has a number of hydroelectric projects under construction or in the design phase. The ongoing public debate regarding these projects has to do with the displacement of indigenous peoples and with the production of methane by decaying vegetable matter covered by dam reservoirs.