4.11 Additional Services Contact List.

Accommodation

As per the National Institute of Statistics and Census, for 2019 at hotels located in Panama City were counted 10,205 room units at the end of the period, with a percentage of housing occupancy of 45.6%.

Electricity and Power

The main source of electricity in Panama is hydroelectric (reservoir and pass projects) followed by thermal (natural gas, coal, and petroleum derivatives projects).    Electricity generated fromrenewable sources (solar and wind) has a smaller participation, which has been increasing during the last five years.

Participation of Energy Sources, year 2018 (Energy Secretariat)

Electricity generation is a private activity, under the market concept.  Nonetheless, there are five generation projects with the participation (holds 51% of shares).  The energy market is regulated by the National Government, through the National Authority of Public Services (ASEP, in Spanish).The country has sufficient energy production to satisfy local needs, with an installed power generation capacity that exceeds the requirements of national demand.  During the end of May 2019, the National Interconnected System had 368233 MW installed and an approximate maximum demand of 1907 MW (excluding self-consumption of the Panama Canal Authority) on May 2, 2019. 

Electricity is only imported, when required to cover differences between local generation and national demand.  The decision to import is by order of merit, meaning, that electricity is imported when international prices are lower than the next local generator that could be called to dispatch.

Panama is part of the Regional Energy Market that connects the countries of Central America, through the SIEPAC (Central American Electrical Interconnection System).  Daily, energy transactions take place between the countries integrated in the network.  The imported energy annually equals to 0.12% of electricity production (base year 2018).   

The national power grid expands to remote locations. The average percentage of electricity access coverage in the country is of 94.5% and in rural areas it has been increasing from 61.7% to 78.5% since the year 2009 to date.  Lesser percentage of coverage is in the areas of the comarca indigena, which are the administrative regions with substantial indigenous populations. This expansion to the rural areas has been achieved through projects and programs of the Office of Rural Electrification (OER, in Spanish), a dependency of the Ministry of the Presidency, but with partial autonomy.

In terms of rationing, blackouts at a national level are not common.  Only two rationing periods have occurred during the last decade, mainly during the dry season (years 2013 and 2014).  The rationing action does not involve programmed power cuts, but rather the use of certain consumption equipment for periods of time.As to faults in the system, the frequency and duration of such are governed by the system reliability rates defined by the Energy Sector Regulator (ASEP, in Spanish), and blackouts occur throughout the year.

Panama’s electric power system handles different voltage levels, as per the activity of the electricity sector. Following, the typical values: Generation: 13.8 kV; Transmission: 115 kV, 230 kV; and Distribution: 13.8 kV, 34.5 kV.

Financial Service Providers

In Panama, financial activities are regulated by laws and public institutions, with an extensive range of banks, cooperatives, pawnshops and other financial services.  Financial services in the country are adapted to supply markets with little purchasing power and stability, till large capital investments.

Clearing and Forwarding Agents

Cargo agents and Customs brokers are available to meet the national demand, and the market is very competitive.  The service includes all the needs and prices, which vary according to requirements.

Construction and Handling Equipment

Pallets are mostly made of wood.  Formal local production is inexistent, hence they are rather handcrafted in artisanal way based on recycled or reused wood.

Postal and Courier Services

At the national and state level is COTEL (Panama Posts and Telegraphs) with 115 years in operation, which has a vast postal network, with over 110 service points, providing parcel and courier services.  The Courier market also includes private companies with nationwide coverage for delivery, reception and parcel delivery to the main cities in the country. There is also an extensive coverage of companies dedicated to the international delivery and dispatch of documents and parcels.

Taxi Companies

Panama, during recent years has had a high demand in taxi patronage through mobile apps, both foreign and Panamanian, and is used extensively in the capital city. . The independent taxi service is also in use for mobilization within the city and the outskirts of the capital.   

Vehicle Rental

There is availability for all types of cars.  This capacity concentrates majorly in the capitals of the cities, throughout the country.

Waste Management and Disposal Services

In 2010, the Authority of Urban and Residential Sanitation (AAUD, in Spanish) was created, and initiated operations in the District of Panama. It subcontracts third parties on occasions for the garbage collection that takes place on specific days of the week, depending of the district or province. 

The collection is achieved by:

• Public Body: Municipality, if the service is being carried along by the entity itself or another type of public body such as the AAUD in the case of the District of Panama.
• Concession: For those cases in which the Municipality has subcontracted said service to a private company for its achievement.
• Civilian or Private: Individual Companies that, without a concession from the city council, are undertaking this service hired directly by the citizens, or it is the citizens themselves who are in charge of the garbage collection in a singular fashion.

Panama does not have a final or temporary disposal infrastructure unit, neither of waste treatment nor segregation, therefore, all the garbage collection (be it through the Municipality via concession or individually) are sent directly to the city’s landfills (it received domestic, as well as commercial and industrial waste).  The condition of the landfills is inadequate and presents environmental and public health risks.

At the private level, there are recycling programs, through NGO’s, environmental responsible companies and communities; however, there is no national recycling program. 

As to residential water collection and treatment, currently existent is the Panama Sanitation Program, with the purpose of cleaning up rivers and streams (this excludes garbage collection). 

Waste Disposal Non-Hazardous

At the moment, Panama does not have a public policy that promotes collection, recycling, as well as responsible and adequate disposal.

Waste Disposal Non-Hazardous

The procedures and the process for the hazardous waste disposal will depend on the composition of the waste.  The initial processes begin from hazardous waste generators, these must primarily classify their waste for transport purposes and must likewise provide a Safety Data Sheet.  If the classification is for hazardous waste, what follows is a segregation by hazard type and temporary storage, for its subsequent inertization or blanketing, stabilization or final disposal in a Safety Container. 

Concerning the restrictions for the elimination of used motor oil and its derivatives, the Republic of Panama has Law No. 6 of 11 January 2007, which establishes the regulations to handle appropriately petroleum products waste, such as hydrocarbon derivatives or synthetic based derivatives in the national territory.   More so, through Law 1672 of 19 July 2013, protected by the Ministry of the Environment that establishes the legal provisions for the adoption of a public policy for the comprehensive waste management of electric and electronic equipment (RAEE).  In said legal provisions are found the restrictions before the handling and disposal of these waste materials.

There are also legislations that regulate the discharge of wastewater, meaning grey water originating from its generator.  These are the regulations DGNTI-COPANIT 35 Water Quality, Liquid Effluents Discharge to Bodies and Masses of Continental and Marine Waters; and Regulation DGNTI-COPANIT 39 Water Quality, Liquid Effluents Discharge Directly to Water Collection Systems.  The sludge generated from the treatment plant is regulated through regulation DGNTI-COPANIT 47, Use and Final Disposal of sludge.

Treatment for the disposal of hazardous waste by Pharmacy and Drug

The interested party requests before the National Directorate of Pharmacy and Drug of the Ministry of Health, the final disposal of pharmaceutical waste, through a form destined for such purpose, which may be downloaded from the following website:

 http://www.minsa.gob.pa/sites/default/files/publicacion-general/destruccion_-_solicitud.pdf

Payment must be made as per the service rate established in the Executive Decree No. 95 of 14 May 2019, Article 5.  State institutions are exempted from this payment.

The request is forwarded to the Department of Quality Systems Auditing of Pharmaceutical Establishments, specifically to the Inspections Division. A date is scheduled with the interested party to perform an inventory on-site.The form and a copy of the Inventory Deed is forwarded to the Sub-Directorate of Environmental Health of the Ministry of Health and the waste management company. After the subdirectorate evaluates the case, the National Pharmacy and Drug Directorate proceeds to schedule a date with the interested party for final disposal.  

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