Blackouts - Oh yeah baby!

Robert

Stay Frosty!
Jan 2, 1999
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The last week or so we have had some really long blackouts (10-12hrs), more than the regular 4-5hrs each day. Yes, I'm in a sector that pays it's bills :(

It would be nice to see the Government stand up and actually say something that can be backed with "real" action. No blackouts after 2012, what a load of BS!

The sector is a complete mess, only better than Haiti or the Congo, now that is something to be proud of! I wonder who is 4th on the list, maybe they can give' the sector some advice?

I really see no hope, especially with all the waffle and smoke screening going on by the Government right now, plus the ingrained cultural apathy that exists here.

I personally think we have some serious blackouts coming our way.
Now is the time to get into the inverter and generator business.

This post was brought to you by Trace :)
 

Keith R

"Believe it!"
Jan 1, 2002
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When we moved into our house in late 1995, we were assured that we'd rarely "lose the light" and "if so, never for more than an hour or so" because (1) we were in a sector "that pays" its bills; (2) we were on the same power line as a nearby military installation, and the power company was loathe to cut their power.

What a load of bull! I think I count on both hands the number of days over the four years living there that we went without an outage, and the number with only 1-2 hours' outage at roughly twice that. Four hours out was what passed as "normal," and some periods it would get into weeks of 6, 8, 10 or 12-14 hours without power. I recall well one stretch that outages were so frequent that I could never fully re-charge my inverter array and the batteries died an early death not long thereafter....

I love many things about the DR, but that is something I do not miss one bit.
 

PlantaFULL

New member
Oct 21, 2004
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Must be something general going on now. The weeks before last monday we had virtually continous power, records of 10 days without a single interruption and then only 10 minute outages randomly. I just check my AC's presets which are reset to default after an outage so if I wasn't home I know as well.

Starting monday I noticed the old "schedule" is back on, power off at ~12AM, back at ~6:30PM.

I went around my area today to check how far it extends and it is at least all from 27 down Mirador Norte, all the way down to Sarasota where LaCadena is and prob further. This whole area is on the same schedule now.
 

Chirimoya

Well-known member
Dec 9, 2002
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Something must have been going on on Monday. 3:00pm - 8:00pm, then the power came back for 45 mins and then went back off until after midnight.

Yesterday we had the standard 3 or 4-hr blackout in the afternoon.
 

Bob K

Silver
Aug 16, 2004
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The really sad part is that if something is not done about the power soon the DR will be so far behind the curve that it will have no chance to join the 20th century let alone the 21st. How do you attract business and investment if you have no power and no hope of continous power. How do you become part of the world economy and commerce with out power. Soon the DR will part of the loin cloth and banana world foever. :ermm:

Bob K
 

Hillbilly

Moderator
Jan 1, 2002
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Gee Bob: It seems you just insulted about half of the world.!! Now anything you do will be damned to he!!. Your effigy will be burned in the streets of the "loin cloth nations" and your name preached as a "satan" that should be gutted wherever you may be!!

Robert and others makes a good point when they say BS to 2012. Anyone that can read the projected goals sees at once that the "supposes" far outweight the "reals". 'Suppose' that the IPP contracts can be renegotiated; 'suppose' that oil prices will be at a certain level; and suppose that the peso/dollar rate will be at a foreseeable level. What a bunch of hooey!

However, I think I can live in a loin cloth and eat bananas. (Chiquita Banana says that "bananas are a perfect food" ...some of us remember-> "I'm Chiquita Banana and I'm here to say, bananas can be eaten almost any way....")

Here is Santiago, the blackouts have, indeed, increased over the past week or so.

HB
 

Hillbilly

Moderator
Jan 1, 2002
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Since the government never wants to tell the truth, today's Diario Libre has a front page story as to the WHY of our blackouts:
Three units that generate 465 Megawatts have left the system. There was also a failure of the 69,000 volt power lines in Haina.
On Sunday night, Itabo II (125 MW) and the Haina thermoelectric (25 MW) went off-line. On Monday afternoon (at 5:49 p.m.) the AES-Andrés (300 MW), the one powered by LNG, went off-line.

There! Now you know why--sort of....

HB
 

riravaga

New member
Feb 24, 2005
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Here in El Seibo now we are having blackout of 2 hrs, sometimes 3 hrs every day, few weeks ago was only for 1hr sometimes. The newspaper reporte that starting 29/09 blackouts wont exist here because almost the 100% pay the service. When in the most of parts of the country was having long blackouts here only on weekends for 30 minutes.
 

KateP

Silver
May 28, 2004
2,845
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I love Punta Cana. If we've lost electricity for 1 hour total during the last month, it's a lot... I figure it's worth living out in the boonies if I can keep my appliances working properly and sleep with A/C every night!!
 

RHM

Doctor of Diplomacy
Sep 23, 2002
1,660
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The saddest part of the story is that we have the capacity to provide electricity 24/7. The reason for the blackouts is NOT government or distributor mismanagement (for the most part). It is because so many Dominicans STEAL their service!

Until stealing becomes taboo and thieves are actually looked down on this will continue. Unfortunately, there are many in the population who look at thieves (politicians etc.) with contempt not because they steal, but because they are jealous of the opportunities that such people have to steal.

I am not saying that all, or even most Dominicans, are thieves (Remember when Hipolito said that 8 out of 10 were?). But I do find it amusing when people complain to the government and the distributors when the real reason for the crisis is the general population. The "experts" estimate that 50% of the electricity consumed is stolen. The problem is societal.

Scandall
 

Robert

Stay Frosty!
Jan 2, 1999
20,574
341
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I love Punta Cana. If we've lost electricity for 1 hour total during the last month, it's a lot... I figure it's worth living out in the boonies if I can keep my appliances working properly and sleep with A/C every night!!

The joys of private electricity production, Las Terrenas (Samana) is the same.

Tell me, are these overseas companies? I mean, who started the electricity company in Bavaro/Punta Cana?
 

vince1956

On Vacation!
May 24, 2006
1,117
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Blackouts Dominican today

The last week or so we have had some really long blackouts (10-12hrs), more than the regular 4-5hrs each day. Yes, I'm in a sector that pays it's bills :(

It would be nice to see the Government stand up and actually say something that can be backed with "real" action. No blackouts after 2012, what a load of BS!

The sector is a complete mess, only better than Haiti or the Congo, now that is something to be proud of! I wonder who is 4th on the list, maybe they can give' the sector some advice?

I really see no hope, especially with all the waffle and smoke screening going on by the Government right now, plus the ingrained cultural apathy that exists here.

I personally think we have some serious blackouts coming our way.
Now is the time to get into the inverter and generator business.

This post was brought to you by Trace :)

http://www.dominicantoday.com/app/article.aspx?id=17717
 

El Diego

New member
Apr 24, 2006
191
2
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The last week or so we have had some really long blackouts (10-12hrs), more than the regular 4-5hrs each day. Yes, I'm in a sector that pays it's bills :(

It would be nice to see the Government stand up and actually say something that can be backed with "real" action. No blackouts after 2012, what a load of BS!

The sector is a complete mess, only better than Haiti or the Congo, now that is something to be proud of! I wonder who is 4th on the list, maybe they can give' the sector some advice?

I really see no hope, especially with all the waffle and smoke screening going on by the Government right now, plus the ingrained cultural apathy that exists here.

I personally think we have some serious blackouts coming our way.
Now is the time to get into the inverter and generator business.

This post was brought to you by Trace :)

i really cannot understand how such a big country, DR, can have this electr problem for decades. Small country like El Salvador has electr 24x7,, if you don't pay bill, no electr,, just as it should be.

does anyone know how long has DR has this electr problem? Since the beginning of its creation?
 

Ladybird

Bronze
Dec 15, 2003
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Your post really depresses me Robert. Because my complex used the generator so much because of the long power cuts it broke down. It was SOOOOOOOOOO hot. Can you tell us why you think we are in for longer blackouts Robert?
 

AZB

Platinum
Jan 2, 2002
12,290
519
113
The lights at my home are good but my office (downtown santiago) is in a mess. Lights go out at 10:30am and come back on around 4:30 to 5pm. The whole working day goes to hell.
AZB

By the way, My 2 EDTA treated batteries at my home are working like new again. The 2 good batteries are woking like 4 batteries.
 

baileyboy

New member
Jun 27, 2004
392
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When I was in POP in early September, my husband and I could count down to the minute when the power would go out. Always at midnight, always returning at 330am.

However, near the end of my visit, they threw us off schedule and we would lose power at sometimes 9pm, 10pm or 11pm, and not have it until 5am the next morning...made for a very long and hot sleep....(or lack thereof).

Took lots of cold showers that were very welcomed!
lisa
 

Hillbilly

Moderator
Jan 1, 2002
18,948
514
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Robert, FYI, out in Punta Cana and Bávaro the GESA company from Mallorca owns the electricity concession. I have met with their executives in Palma and they are one cool group of people. GESA stands for Generator of Electricity, S x A.....

thought you might want to know....

HB