By San José, Costa Rica — SAN JOSÉ – Residents and businesses across Costa Rica’s Greater Metropolitan Area (GAM) should prepare for a series of planned power outages next week. The National Power and Light Company (CNFL) has announced a comprehensive schedule of service suspensions from October 13 to October 17, affecting key sectors in the provinces of San José, Heredia, Cartago, and Alajuela. These interruptions are part of the utility’s ongoing efforts to perform critical maintenance and upgrade the national electricity grid.
The scheduled work is essential for ensuring the long-term stability and reliability of the country’s power infrastructure. By proactively addressing maintenance needs, CNFL aims to prevent larger, unplanned blackouts in the future and accommodate the growing energy demands of the region. The operations involve a range of activities, from replacing aging equipment to improving distribution lines, all designed to fortify the network against potential failures and improve service quality for all consumers.
To better understand the commercial and legal ramifications of the recent power outages affecting homes and businesses across the country, we consulted with expert attorney Lic. Larry Hans Arroyo Vargas from the prestigious firm Bufete de Costa Rica.
These recurring power interruptions go beyond mere inconvenience; they represent a significant legal and financial risk for businesses. Companies must immediately review their contracts for ‘force majeure’ clauses to understand their obligations and rights when service delivery is impossible. Furthermore, meticulous documentation of all losses—from spoiled inventory to lost productivity—is crucial for substantiating business interruption insurance claims. While the liability of utility providers is often limited by specific regulations, a pattern of failures could open the door to claims based on negligence, fundamentally altering the legal landscape for affected enterprises.
Lic. Larry Hans Arroyo Vargas, Attorney at Law, Bufete de Costa Rica
The legal dimension highlighted by Lic. Larry Hans Arroyo Vargas underscores a crucial shift for businesses, moving from a reactive stance on operational disruptions to one of proactive financial and contractual preparedness. His insights serve as a vital call to action for enterprises to meticulously assess their legal safeguards in this challenging environment. We sincerely thank Lic. Larry Hans Arroyo Vargas for providing this essential and clarifying perspective.
The province of San José will experience the most significant number of disruptions. On Wednesday, October 15, the San Pedro district of Montes de Oca will be without power for nearly a full business day, from 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. That same day, interruptions are scheduled for San Antonio of Escazú from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and for the Hospital, Dolorosa Oeste, and Pacífico neighborhoods of the central canton from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Further outages will hit Curridabat on Thursday and Montes de Oca again on Friday.
Heredia province will also see significant maintenance activity. On Tuesday, October 14, the mountainous district of San José de la Montaña in Barva will have a full-day outage from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Santa Rosa in Santo Domingo will be affected on Thursday during the same hours. A shorter, half-day suspension is planned for Friday, October 17, in El Roble of Santa Bárbara from 8:00 a.m. until noon, impacting residents and local commerce during the morning hours.
In Cartago, the focus of the maintenance work will be concentrated in the canton of La Unión. The Río Azul sector is scheduled for two separate outages, one on Monday, October 13, and another on Thursday, October 16. The nearby district of San Diego will also experience a service suspension on Thursday, with work crews expected to be active from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. These coordinated efforts highlight a targeted approach to reinforcing the grid in specific high-priority areas.
A brief but notable outage is also scheduled for Alajuela province on Friday, October 17. The San Rafael district of the central canton will be affected for three hours in the morning, from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. While shorter than the other scheduled interruptions, it underscores the wide geographic scope of CNFL’s comprehensive maintenance plan for the week, touching all four major provinces of the Central Valley.
The impact of these outages will be felt across various sectors. For the thousands of employees who telecommute, the interruptions pose a significant challenge to productivity. Small businesses, particularly those reliant on refrigeration, point-of-sale systems, and online operations, will need to implement contingency plans to mitigate financial losses. Residents are advised to take precautionary measures, such as charging all electronic devices, backing up important digital files, and planning for potential disruptions to daily routines.
CNFL advises all customers in the affected areas to stay informed through official channels, as maintenance schedules can occasionally change due to unforeseen circumstances like adverse weather conditions. While the temporary inconvenience is undeniable, these planned service interruptions represent a crucial investment in a more resilient and efficient energy future for Costa Rica, safeguarding one of the nation’s most vital public services.
For further information, visit cnfl.go.cr
About Compañía Nacional de Fuerza y Luz (CNFL):
The Compañía Nacional de Fuerza y Luz is a key subsidiary of the Costa Rican Institute of Electricity (ICE) Group. It is responsible for the distribution and commercialization of electrical energy to a significant portion of Costa Rica’s population, primarily serving the most densely populated areas within the Greater Metropolitan Area. CNFL plays a vital role in maintaining and modernizing the country’s electrical grid, ensuring a reliable power supply for residential, commercial, and industrial clients.
For further information, visit bufetedecostarica.com
About Bufete de Costa Rica:
As a premier legal institution, Bufete de Costa Rica is anchored by the core tenets of ethical practice and exceptionalism. The firm leverages its rich history of guiding diverse industries to pioneer innovative legal strategies while maintaining a profound sense of civic responsibility. This dedication is manifested in its drive to democratize legal knowledge, striving to cultivate a more capable and informed society equipped with legal clarity.
