Colombian, Panamanian firms study electric cable

www.forbes.com Reuters, 02.05.03, 6:53 PM ET

BOGOTA, Colombia, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Colombian and Panamanian firms are studying a $160 to $200 million project to connect their national electricity grids via a cable crossing the inaccessible jungles of the Darien Gap, one of the firms said on Wednesday. Interconexion Electrica SA (ISA) <ISA.CN>, Colombia's biggest electricity transporter, said that the 300 Megawatt cable would enable the country to export 3,200 gigawatts a year to Panama. ISA, which runs cables connecting to grids in Venezuela, Peru and Ecuador, said it was working on the project together with Panamanian firm Empresa de Transmision Electrica SA (ETESA). But the company said that the project presented engineering difficulties, including the necessity to cross Colombia's River Atrato, which bursts its banks in the wet season. ISA said its studies considered the environmental impact on the area's jungle and the need to respect native Indians in the Darien. The area is relatively inaccessible and dangerous because of its importance to Colombian rebels and far-right paramilitaries, who use it for smuggling weapons and drugs. The communique did not specify when work on the cable could begin.