Conelectricas

What Conelectricas does

Conelectricas R.L. (Consorcio Nacional de Empresas de Electrificación de Costa Rica) is a private cooperative consortium founded in 1989 and headquartered in San Ramón, Costa Rica, that integrates four member electrical cooperatives (COOPESANTOS, COOPEGUANACASTE, COOPEALFARORUIZ, and COOPELESCA) to generate and distribute electricity across approximately 20% of Costa Rica's national territory (10,693 km²). The consortium serves roughly 138,325+ households and 247,000+ associates, reaching an estimated 1 million people, with rural electrification coverage of 99.7-100% across its four member zones. It operates 14 generation plants producing electricity from 100% renewable sources — hydroelectric (83%), wind (16%), and solar (2%) — under concessions granted via Costa Rica's cooperative framework (Law 8345).

The consortium's service portfolio extends beyond core electricity to include 14 electric vehicle charging centers in rural zones, fiber optic broadband internet to 70+ communities (194 public access points) under FONATEL programs, and a planned deployment of 258,000 smart meters with bidirectional communication. Its in-house Geneléctrica system monitors analog variables across generation plants. The organization holds Carbono Neutral Plus certification (2019, the highest level under MINAE's program) and has executed carbon-offset reforestation through the Eco Vivero program. Revenue is generated primarily through regulated monthly residential electricity tariffs (approximately ₡86/kWh at Coopelesca), with secondary streams from EV charging (₡150/minute at L3 fast chargers), fiber internet subscriptions, and professional services including thermography and environmental consulting.

The business operates on a sales-led, direct-to-member model through its four regional cooperatives, with no external parent or private equity backing. Strategic growth is being driven by a 230 MW pipeline of new wind, solar, and biomass capacity (2025-2026), the April 2026 acquisition of the Central Hidroeléctrica Río Lajas plant in Turrialba, and the $1.9M La Barranquilla solar project. Governance is by an elected Consejo de Administración; the 2025-2026 board is led by President Miguel Gómez Corea.

Name

Conelectricas

Legal name

Consorcio Nacional de Empresas de Electrificación de Costa Rica (CONELECTRICAS R.L.)

Website

https://conelectricas.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Conelectricas R.L. is a Costa Rican cooperative consortium founded in 1989 that generates and distributes 100% renewable electricity to roughly 138,325+ rural households and 247,000+ associates across four member cooperatives covering 20% of Costa Rica's territory, with adjacent fiber broadband and EV charging services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Rural Electric Utility Services

NAICS

Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution (2211), Electric Power Transmission, Control, and Distribution (22112), Hydroelectric Power Generation (221111)

SIC

Electric Services (4911), Electric, Gas & Sanitary Services (4900)

akta.pro primary industry

Electric Cooperatives (Rural/Member-Owned Utilities) (EUADABAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Renewable Distributed Generation (Rooftop/Onsite Solar, Small Wind, Small Hydro) (EUACALAJ), Resilience & Backup Power Solutions (Critical Facilities, Islanding) (EUAMAJAK), Substations, Transformers & Grid Step-Up Facilities (EHV Substations, GSU Transformers) (EUAMAFAE)

Keywords

• Renewable electricity generation
• Rural electrification services
• Electric cooperative consortium
• Hydroelectric power production
• Electric vehicle charging network

Headquarters

HQ city

San Ramón

HQ country

Costa Rica

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Electricity Generation and Distribution: Generate and distribute electricity to rural communities through four member cooperatives. Revenue comes from electricity tariffs charged to approximately 247,000+ associates and 138,325+ households across San Carlos, Guanacaste, Zarcero, and Los Santos zones. Energy is produced from 100% renewable sources (hydroelectric 83%, wind 16%, solar 2%).
2. Internet and Telecommunications: Provide internet services via fiber optic infrastructure to rural communities. Installed over 70 communities with fiber optic internet and operates 194 public internet access points (ZAIGS) through FONATEL programs.
3. Electric Vehicle Charging Services: Operates electric vehicle charging stations in rural zones. Some locations offer free charging while fast chargers charge per minute (₡150 per minute).
4. Professional and Technical Services: Offers services including thermography, environmental consulting (Carbono Neutral certification), joint defense of associated cooperatives, and joint dispatch center services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

CONELECTRICAS R.L. generates and distributes 100% renewable electricity (hydroelectric, wind, and solar) to approximately 247,000+ associates across rural Costa Rica through its four member cooperatives, operating 14 generation plants and a distribution network covering 20% of national territory. Beyond core electricity services, the consortium provides fiber optic internet (Infocomunicaciones), electric vehicle charging infrastructure (14 centers in rural zones), smart meter deployment (258,000 units planned), and professional services including thermography, carbon-neutral advisory, and reforestation.

Product overview

CONELECTRICAS R.L. is a cooperative electrical consortium that generates and distributes electricity through clean (renewable) sources including hydroelectric, wind, and solar power. The organization operates as a unified platform combining electricity generation services with additional offerings including electric vehicle charging infrastructure (Movilidad Eléctrica), telecommunications (Infocomunicaciones), carbon neutral certification services, and specialized technical services such as thermography and generation plant monitoring (Genelectric). The consortium serves approximately 247,000 associates across San Carlos, Guanacaste, Zarcero, and Los Santos zones through its member cooperatives COOPESANTOS R.L., COOPEGUANACASTE R.L., COOPEALFARORUIZ R.L., and COOPELESCA R.L.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Eco Vivero: Environmental nursery initiative launched in 2017 that cultivates trees for donation and reforestation campaigns
• Genelectric
• Movilidad Eléctrica
• Carbono Neutral
• Centro de Despacho Conjunto

Products and services

• Generación de Energía Hidroeléctrica (Hydroelectric Power Generation) Generation of electricity from hydroelectric sources through multiple plants (San Lorenzo, Sigifredo Solís Solís, Río Lajas), providing renewable power to rural communities across the four cooperative zones in Costa Rica.
• Movilidad Eléctrica (Electric Mobility) Electric vehicle charging service operating 14 centers (including fast L3 and semi-fast L2 chargers) in rural zones of Costa Rica, providing sustainable transportation infrastructure for residents and visitors.
• Infocomunicaciones (Fiber Optic Internet) Telecommunications and fiber optic internet service providing broadband connectivity to rural communities, educational centers, and public access points (ZAIGS) in Costa Rica, partially funded through FONATEL.
• Carbono Neutral (Carbon Neutral Certification) Carbon neutral certification and environmental consulting services for the consortium and its members, with CONELECTRICAS holding the Carbono Neutral Plus 2019 certification from MINAE.
• Eco Vivero Environmental reforestation service and tree nursery program producing trees for conservation, reforestation, and donation campaigns in partnership with Fundación Parques Nacionales.
• Termografía (Thermography)
• Defensa Conjunta Asociadas (Joint Defense) Joint representation and defense service for member cooperatives against regulatory and competitive threats to the cooperative electrical sector.
• Centro de Despacho Conjunto (Joint Dispatch Center) Joint energy dispatch service applying economic dispatch criteria to coordinate generation across the cooperative electrical sector.
• Proyecto Solar La Barranquilla New solar generation project developed jointly by COOPEALFARORUIZ and COOPEGUANACASTE, adding solar capacity to reinforce the renewable energy matrix of the consortium.
• Central Hidroeléctrica Río Lajas (Expansion) Hydroelectric generation asset in Santa Teresita de Turrialba, acquired and expanded to add additional clean energy capacity to the consortium's generation portfolio and the national electricity system.

Quantifiable outcome

• Near 100% rural electrification coverage achieved by member cooperatives
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• COOPESANTOS R.LcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperativa de Electrificación Rural Los Santos - Member cooperative serving the Los Santos zone with electricity and internet services. Part of CONELECTRICAS R.L consortium. Operates 100% coverage in its service area.
• COOPEGUANACASTE R.LcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember cooperative serving Guanacaste region with electricity and internet. Achieved 99.7% rural electrification coverage. Operates solar park Juanilama and multiple EV charging stations. Jointly developing La Barranquilla solar project with $1.9 million investment.
• COOPEALFARORUIZ R.LcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember cooperative serving Zarcero region. Part of CONELECTRICAS R.L consortium. Achieved 100% rural electrification coverage. Jointly developing La Barranquilla solar project with COOPEGUANACASTE.
• COOPELESCA R.LcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperativa de Electrificación Rural San Carlos - Member cooperative with 100% rural electrification coverage in San Carlos zone. Operates the largest solar park in Costa Rica (Parque Solar Cooperativo in Buenos Aires de Pocosol).
• Fundación Parques NacionalesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for reforestation initiatives. Jointly reforesting Zone Azul, Monteverde, Uvita and Manuel Antonio with more than 3,000 trees. Focus on water conservation and biodiversity increase.
• National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational partnership with US cooperative association. NRECA leaders visited Costa Rica to learn from CONELECTRICAS model. Model highlighted as regional innovation reference for Latin America.
• FONATEL (Fondo Nacional de Telecomunicaciones)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment telecommunications fund providing financing for rural internet connectivity. Projects include connecting educational centers and public internet access points (ZAIGS). Approved budget of over ₡528 million for fiber optic projects.
• SUTEL (Superintendencia de Telecomunicaciones)minorOthersTelecommunications regulator approving FONATEL projects and budgets for rural connectivity initiatives implemented by member cooperatives.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE): Costa Rica's state-owned national electric and telecom utility, operating generation, transmission and distribution across the entire country. ICE is the dominant incumbent against which Conelectricas' member cooperatives operate as rural distribution concessionaires.
• ENEL Green Power Costa Rica: Subsidiary of Enel Group operating utility-scale renewable generation assets (hydro, wind, solar, geothermal) in Costa Rica. Comparable as a competing renewable generator bidding into the same national grid, though structured as a developer rather than a member-owned utility.

Regional players

• Compañía Nacional de Fuerza y Luz (CNFL): Costa Rican distribution utility serving the Greater Metropolitan Area of San José under a different regulatory framework than Conelectricas. CNFL is referenced directly in Conelectricas' tariff documentation and operates generation, distribution, and EV-time-of-use programs in its territory.

Direct peers

• Co-operative Energy: UK consumer-owned cooperative energy company supplying electricity and related services to members across the Midlands, South West and Central England. Member-owned governance, multi-service platform (energy + broadband + EV), and rural service territory make it directly comparable to the Conelectricas consortium model.
• Pedernales Electric Cooperative: Largest member-owned electric cooperative in the United States, serving over 400,000 meters across rural Central Texas. Its scale, member-owned structure, broadband and EV-adjacent service extensions, and rural electrification mandate make it the closest functional analog to the Conelectricas consortium.
• Iowa Lakes Electric Cooperative: Member-owned rural electric distribution cooperative serving northwestern Iowa, providing electricity, broadband and member services through a cooperative structure aligned with the Conelectricas model. Operates under a regulated distribution cooperative framework comparable to that of the four Conelectricas member cooperatives.
• Coosa Valley Electric Cooperative: Member-owned distribution cooperative serving rural parts of Alabama, supplying electricity and fiber services to members. Its combination of rural distribution, fiber broadband overbuild, and member-owned governance makes it a comparable model for Conelectricas' Infocomunicaciones and electricity platform.

Others

• National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA): US national trade association representing 900+ rural electric cooperatives. NRECA has a documented exchange relationship with Conelectricas (hosting delegations to Costa Rica) and serves as the institutional reference model and consulting counterpart for the consortium's international positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/CONELECTRICASRL
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/conelectricas-r-l-

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Conelectricas