- ICE scheduled power maintenance suspensions for Tuesday, August four, twenty twenty-six, across five Costa Rican provinces.
- Electrical outages will last between four and nine point five hours in specific districts for grid upgrades.
- Authorities confirm the national grid has sufficient reserves for twenty twenty-six without needing energy imports from Panama.
ICE and its subsidiaries announced planned power suspensions across five Costa Rican provinces for Tuesday, August 4, 2026, as crews carry out grid maintenance, pole relocation and network upgrades. The scheduled ICE Lightcuts will affect parts of San José, Heredia, Guanacaste, Cartago and Puntarenas.
The outages will last between 4 and 9.5 hours, depending on the work planned in each location. ICE, the Compañía Nacional de Fuerza y Luz (CNFL) and the Empresa de Servicios Públicos de Heredia (ESPH) will manage the listed interruptions.
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Residents and businesses should check their NISE, or Service Number, against the scheduled suspension lists. The ICE, CNFL and ESPH websites provide the relevant lookup tools.
The longest interruption is scheduled in Orosi, Cartago. Service there will stop from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
Other outages will affect communities in Guanacaste, Puntarenas, San José and Heredia. ESPH lists approximately 148 clients in Mercedes, Heredia, among those affected.
The schedules cover schools, commercial areas and residential communities. Some locations may experience only brief disturbances while crews transfer or balance electrical loads.
Five provinces will see maintenance interruptions on August 4
| Provider | Province | District or community | Timetable | Work planned |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ICE | Cartago | Orosi: Juco, La Anita, Colegio de Orosi, Escuela Río Macho and Escuela Juco | 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM | Grid maintenance |
| ICE | Guanacaste | Bagaces, Fortuna: Parcelas Río Blanco Fortuna | 8:00 AM – 1:00 PM | Grid maintenance |
| ICE | Puntarenas | Pitahaya: Malinche | 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM | Grid maintenance |
| CNFL | San José | Pavas: Santa Catalina, partial, from Super SYS 150m North | 7:30 AM – 5:00 PM | Pole relocation |
| ESPH | Heredia | Mercedes: Mercedes Sur and Santa Inés | 7:00 AM – 3:00 PM | Pole replacement |
The CNFL work in Pavas involves relocating poles. The utility warned that nearby residents could experience “slight disturbances or momentary outages” while crews balance the load across the network.
ESPH is contacting affected clients through WhatsApp, SMS and flyers. Silvia Ureña Corrales, a journalist, said the utility is urging customers to compare their contract numbers with the official suspension lists.
A separate notice for the phrase Meralco CBP1-A substation concerns a different utility schedule in the Philippines, not the August 4 Costa Rican outages. That notice lists SM Central Business Park in Pasay City from 6:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. for facility replacement, while related interruptions were listed in Baclaran in Parañaque City on August 3 and in Pasay on August 3 and August 5.
ICE links the outages to grid upgrades
The August 4 work forms part of a broader modernization effort. ICE is also continuing the rollout of Costa Rica’s most modern 5G network, which requires periodic electrical adjustments in urban centers such as San José.
The utility invested ₡20,000 million, approximately $38M USD, to strengthen the distribution network in key areas including the Nicoya Peninsula. ICE joined the Association of Latin American Electricity Distributors, or ADELAT, in July 2026 to support regional cooperation on renewable energy and distribution-system strategies.
Ángelo Vargas Hernández, Head of the Distribution and Marketing Division at ICE, described the regional membership as a way to develop proposals involving smart grids and electric mobility.
“We trust that joining ADELAT [Association of Latin American Electricity Distributors] will allow us to actively participate in building proposals that increase the competitiveness of our country. developing smart grids and promoting electric mobility.”
The National Electric System, known as the SEN, has a 99.4% coverage rate and sufficient reserves for 2026, according to information cited by ADELAT. Marco Acuña Mora, Executive President of Grupo ICE, said the country does not expect to import electricity from Panama for the rest of the year.
“The National Electric System has sufficient resources to meet the country's electricity demand. we do not project importing energy from Panama for the rest of 2026.”
Businesses face refrigeration risks during the shutdowns
The planned interruptions may affect pulperías, butcher shops and pharmacies in Pavas and Orosi. These businesses rely on refrigeration to protect perishable food and vaccines.
Gerardo Araya, President of the National Chamber of Retailers, previously warned that imprecise timing can create losses for businesses managing temperature-sensitive goods.
“Imprecision in timing can result in economic losses for businesses managing perishable foods and vaccines.”
The outage periods vary widely. Pavas has the latest scheduled end time, at 5:00 PM, while the work in Fortuna is set to finish at 1:00 PM. Orosi’s interruption spans the full working day.
The schedule also reaches educational facilities. Colegio de Orosi, Escuela Río Macho and Escuela Juco appear among the affected locations in Cartago.
Costa Rica says reserves can cover demand
The maintenance schedule comes after a dispute over electricity sales between Costa Rica and Panama. Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino suspended energy sales to Costa Rica earlier in 2026.
“For now, there is no sale of energy to Costa Rica. Simple as that.”
ICE officials later said Costa Rica had moved toward full energy self-sufficiency for 2026. The utility’s position rests on available reserves, expanded distribution capacity and ongoing infrastructure investment.
A scheduled suspension of service does not signal a national supply shortage. It allows crews to perform work at specific points in the distribution system, with the listed communities receiving advance notice of the affected hours.
Residents can review the ICE scheduled suspension list, the CNFL maintenance schedule or the ESPH contract search before August 4. The listed NISE or contract number identifies whether an individual property falls within the planned work area.
