The Electricity Issue....

Not enough collections to pay for kwh generation. When they run out of money, everbody gets shut down, including those that are paying.

Yes, not enough collections, for the reasons you have listed plus the government doesn't pay its electric bills either and corruption probably figures in too. Lack of proper maintenance has also been a factor.

'all of the above!,but..................................

The "Bucket" that holds all the "reasons" together is POLITICAL!
The majority of the people in the DR are poor,and pay little,or NOTHING,for electricity.
They have come to look at "Free Electricity" as a benefit,that the "Government",MUST provide.
All Governments,no matter PLD,PRD,Or PRSD,are afraid to change the "status quo". Free Electricity is the "3rd Rail" of Dominican Politics!(To those unfamiliar with that "TERM",It's like if you touch the "3rd Rail" on an electrified train track,"YOU DIE!) Soooooooooooooooooooooooo,the electrical "Problem" will never get better.
And lets not forget the 100s of political patronage jobs that the party in power gives to the faithful.
Hell,Leonels brother,who lives in New York,was receiving $2,000 US a month from the Dominican Electric Corporation!
Nice work,if you can get it!
"No Show" jobs steal billions from the Dominican people every year!

It's 103 degrees "F" in Boston today! My sister runs 3 airconditioners 24/7 here all summer.I was "Terrified" to ask what her electric bill was per month."I don't really know" she said,"It's paid automatically from my bank account,but it's "NOT MUCH"!
I need an 1,800 mile long extention cord!
A 6,000 BTU window airconditioner,cost $100,Less,if you find a "SALE"!

I sit and read the circulars from the big supermarkets.I don't know if I should laugh,or cry!
Most things are much cheaper here,and of higher,consistant quality.

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Criss Colon said:

It's 103 degrees "F" in Boston today! My sister runs 3 airconditioners 24/7 here all summer.I was "Terrified" to ask what her electric bill was per month."I don't really know" she said,"It's paid automatically from my bank account,but it's "NOT MUCH"!

Click to expand...

ummm, NOT MUCH??? Lets see. A 1 ton (12k BTU) a/c needs ~12 amps at 120vac = ~1.44 kWh. Assuming 1/2 time use on the compressor it'll use 720 Wh or .72 kWh. 0.72 *24(hours)* 30(days) = ~518.4kWh per unit per month. You say she has 3 units 24/7 so that's 518 *3 = 1,555.2 kWh per month for all three units. At a cost of 0.151 per kWh (rate for Boston on April 2011) that will be 1555.2 * 0.151 = US$234.84 =~ RD$8,923.74. Yeap very cheap indeed just for A/C.

*Source: http://www.bls.gov/ro1/cpibosap.pdf

NotLurking

Like so many of us here in the DR, I am sort of holding my breath after the IMF letter and the no-so-subtle announcements that our electricity bill will go up maybe 25% in September. That is so outrageous that we need to step back and look at it.

Here we have a government with totally out of control spending habits; with a series of social policies that are a huge drain on the treasury (just like the USA folk) and little income that is not from direct taxes. Add to this No Clear Policy with regard to getting the 1.56 billion electricity users to pay for the use of this service.

As I see it, the government/administration has to send some signals that they are doing something.

As I told my class last week, it is not as if the CDEEE lacks for funding if it wants it. It is not that the government's propaganda machine, which caricaturist Harold Priego compares to Goebbels, could not create the traction for a push to install meters in barrio after barrio.

The issue is political cost. There are thousands of informal jobs in those little shops, workshops, beauty salons hidden and tucked away (some would use another consonant) in the back yards of Capotillo, Gualey, Guandules and any of the other non-paying barrios of Santo Domingo. By paying for electricity, the owners would be forced to increase their prices (at least it would be an excuse to increase their prices) in spite of the fact that they would get better power, use less gasoline and run a safer shop. The chain reaction might mean the loss of some jobs and that would be fatal for the party.

One of my students offered this: "All pay or no Pay".

Another suggested that this propaganda machine that exists be used to create a consciousness such as was displayed regarding the cement factory to be located in Gonzalo, near the Los Haitises National Park...remember"? Everybody was on board for that.

Personally, I like the idea of a boycott. A total, national boycott, but I do not think it is achievable. Who knows, one day it might be...

HB

Read the Manifest

Hillbilly said:

Personally, I like the idea of a boycott. A total, national boycott, but I do not think it is achievable. Who knows, one day it might be...
HB

Click to expand...

Well, a group called "Resistencia Popular Duartiana" carried out your idea... their :devious: way...
CDEEE cree que hubo acto terrorista a generadora LV; grupo se responsabiliza

donP

That is a bit extreme, but who knows, it might be in the works...there are hundreds of kilometers of high tension lines out there and a little bit of chain with some effort....hummm...but that would start a chain of repressive acts...not to the liking of many...

HB

If "fear of electoral suicide" is the main reason for the government's inaction, Marranzini should get the political parties to declare a cross-party initiative against non-payment so that no party could make political capital at election time. Worth a try, anyway.

That would be a magnificent solution, which I am sure he is attempting to do, but the political costs would be high, but can you imagine the rewards if the electricity rates went DOWN>>>>????????? OMG! IF billions in subsidies were freed up or schools and hospitals and roads and sanitation and on and on and on.....

Good thinking Chiri...

HB

1. There is an appx. 25% loss between the producer and the user due to defects in the transmission system.
2. There is an appx. 35% loss due to stolen or unpaid for and unmetered consumption and many consumers feel it is their right to receive energy without paying for it.
3. This leaves appx. 40% of the users ( the paying ones) to pay for 100 % of the production. This is why the rates are so high

Of course there is a political reason for this since all of the political parties want the votes of the non-payers. Ths is a thing that goes back many, many years.

Speaking of power, we live in one of those "24 Hour" zones. Sweet, huh? Except we've been without power since 8pm last night, and the inverter gave up the ghost aroung 4am. Still no power at 9am. We called Edenorte and they said they "just" got a repair order for something broken near the Salto Jimenoa power station. Just got it 13 hours later.

So I dragged out the trusty 3.5kw gasoline generator to run a few things. It needed some exercise anyway...