ICE - Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (Institutional Profile)

The Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE) is an autonomous Costa Rican state institution, created in 1949, with two main lines of business: electricity generation and distribution, and telecommunications (the latter under the commercial brand kolbi: mobile phone, internet, television, and landline services).

Electricity coverage: ICE is the direct electricity distributor in much of the country, but not in all areas. In the San José metropolitan area, distribution is handled by the Compañía Nacional de Fuerza y Luz (CNFL, a company within the ICE group); in Heredia, by the Empresa de Servicios Públicos de Heredia (ESPH); in Cartago, by JASEC; and in some rural areas, by electrification cooperatives (such as Coopelesca, Coopeguanacaste, Coopesantos, and Coopealfaroruiz). Before reporting an outage or applying for a new connection, it is advisable to confirm which distributor serves your specific area.

Main services:

• Residential, commercial, and industrial electricity supply, including billing and new service connections (see the separate new electricity connection entry for step-by-step process details).
• Telecommunications services under the kolbi brand: mobile plans, fixed and mobile internet, subscription television, and landlines.
• ICE is also responsible, along with other entities, for much of the country's electricity generation (hydroelectric, geothermal, wind).

How to report a power outage or electrical fault (ICE general line):

• 24-hour power outage reporting: 1026.
• Electricity customer service: 1194.
• 24-hour general assistance: 800-ENERGIA (800-363-7442).
• You can also report via the "ICE Electricidad" app, the Agencia Virtual de Electricidad, or by visiting the nearest customer service agency. Confirm whether a different number applies if your area is served by CNFL, ESPH, JASEC, or a cooperative, as each may have its own reporting channel.

Contact for telecommunications services (kolbi): customer service at 1193; service menu via *888# or SMS to 8888 for bill inquiries, packages, and roaming.

General contact: telephone 2000-7720, email contactenos@ice.go.cr, headquarters in Sabana Sur, San José. Official website: www.grupoice.com.

Note: The Sistema de Emergencias 9-1-1 (9-1-1 Emergency System - see separate entry) is administratively attached to ICE by law, although it operates as a separate system to coordinate police, fire, and emergency medical services — it should not be confused with the ICE customer service numbers listed above.