• First energy supplier in the country with this distinction.
• They obtained an average score of 98 in five categories.
• Renewable matrix is key in attracting sustainable investments.

San José, July 6, 2023. The Costa Rican Electricity Institute (Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad, ICE) obtained the license for the esencial Costa Rica Nation Brand from the Foreign Trade Promoter of Costa Rica (Promotora del Comercio Exterior de Costa Rica, PROCOMER), becoming the first national energy supplier to receive this distinction.

Following the Promoter’s evaluation, the Institute successfully passed all aspects analyzed, with an average score of 98 (see table). kölbi, ICE’s commercial brand, obtained the esencial Costa Rica Nation Brand in 2017.

During the last eight years, Costa Rica has maintained a sustained electricity generation of over 98% from five clean sources: water, geothermal, wind, biomass, and solar. This milestone has reaffirmed the country as a world leader in renewable energies.

Marco Acuña, chairman of ICE Group (Grupo ICE), stated that “the license is a recognition of the work of the Institute’s personnel, who contribute every day to the development of our country. It also marks the path towards the electrification of the economy and the consolidation of a state-of-the-art telecommunications ecosystem.”

Meanwhile, Pedro Beirute, chairman of the Interinstitutional Committee of the Nation Brand (Comité Interinstitucional de la Marca País) and general manager of PROCOMER, stated that “the licensing of esencial Costa Rica seeks to increase the country’s competitiveness through compliance with a demanding protocol based on excellence, sustainability, innovation, social progress and Costa Rican origin. In which ICE obtained an excellent score, welcoming it to the licensing community as a leading institution in the generation of electricity from renewable sources.”

Beirute added that Costa Rica’s renewable electricity matrix is one of the characteristics that has positioned the country as a benchmark in sustainability, and has made the country attractive to international buyers, investors, and tourists, with ICE being a key player in this area.

The 2022 Global Competitiveness Report (GCR) ranked Costa Rica among the 43 most important economies in the world for generating, attracting and retaining talent and investment. The ranking recognizes the role of renewable resources in sustainable economic growth and capital flows.

Scores obtained

Value Excellence Sustainability Social progress Innovation Origin

ICE 96.77 96.15 100 100 100

Minimum 85 80 80 80 100