On July 16, 2026, the National Electric Energy Commission (Comisión Nacional de Energía Eléctrica, “CNEE”) issued Resolution CNEE-230-2026, published on July 27, 2026 in the Diario de Centro América. The resolution establishes a new regime for the connection, operation, control, and commercialization of renewable distributed generation plants of up to 5 MW connected to the Distribution System.
The following relevant aspects for developers, investors, and distributors were identified:
- A digitalized connection procedure subject to defined deadlines is established, from the request for the Capacity and Connection Opinion (Dictamen de Capacidad y Conexión) through the plant’s commissioning.
- Projects must comply with IEEE Standard 1547 and, in the case of inverters, demonstrate compliance with UL Standard 1741 or its IEC equivalent.
- Distributors must implement a digital platform for submitting applications, uploading documents, checking the status of proceedings, receiving notifications, and making payments.
- Distributors must publish capacity, congestion, and saturation maps of the system every six months.
- The concept of an “Affected System” is formally incorporated. When an interconnection may impact the transmission network, the Transmission Company (Transportista) may participate in the evaluation, submit technical observations, and determine the necessary modifications.
- A procedure for resolving disputes before the CNEE is regulated. If the parties fail to reach an agreement at a hearing, the Commission must issue a decision within the following ten days.
- The regulation strengthens supervisory powers and allows the CNEE to require corrective measures or the disconnection of a plant when its operation puts the safety, quality, or continuity of the electric service at risk.
The resolution will enter into force on August 17, 2026. Projects already in process will continue under the previous rules, unless the interested party expressly requests to be subject to the new regulations.
Distributors must implement the required procedures and tools within sixty days following the effective date of the regulation. While the digital platform is not yet available, applications may be submitted in person until July 31, 2027.
Our team will continue monitoring the issuance of annexes, forms, and templates necessary for the application of this new regulation.