DR's electricity problem, SOLVED!

suarezn

Gold
Feb 3, 2002
5,823
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Yeah...but can it charge my inverter?

On a more serious note I really think Nuclear is the way to go for The DR. I know it's not going to happen, but with just one or two small plants you can provide reliable power to the whole country at reasonable prices.
 

J D Sauser

Silver
Nov 20, 2004
2,940
390
83
www.hispanosuizainvest.com
Let's get together, just us dr1'ers and get one! :)
It costs 25 Millions (loaded), and provides power for 10 thousand homes for 10 years... that equates to USD 21.oo a month per home per month... just a little less than 750 Pesitos!

... J-D. :D
 

JRMirador

Snap!
Oct 15, 2008
121
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Las Lomas de Azua
In 1981, our office (Special Advisory to the President), hosted a Canadian delegation offering a turn-key project for the installation of a self-financed 1000MW CANDU nuclear power facility, to be installed in the Barahona peninsula. The project found absolutely no government support, and the proposal lasted less than a cockroach in a chicken coop.
 

heldengebroed

Bronze
Mar 9, 2005
560
7
0
Problem with nuclear is that the "fuel" is also limitted with the peak production tought to be within 50 years andlots of it is in political unstable regions
Not to mention the treatment of the wasteproducts
Honnestly don't think that the DR is the best place for this

greetings

Johan
 

DRob

Gold
Aug 15, 2007
8,234
594
113
I have not checked how limited the fuel for nuclear fission is, but I will take your word for it that we will peak out the supply in about 50 years. Even so, 50 years worth of electricity from fission would buy us time to work on other methods. I think we can find a place to put the spent fuel. There is a valid point about terrorists or unstable countries creating bombs from the spent material, but that could also be dealt with if the effort was made.

For example, nuclear fusion, if and when it can be harnessed to generate power will not have the waste issues and will have a virtually inexhaustible fuel supply. Unfortunately, harnessing the same type of energy source that powers the sun is still years away from reality. Will the French be the ones to do it?

How far away is fusion? - Cosmic Log - msnbc.com

It's probably further out than 2016. Even if you solve all the inevitable bugs (labor construction issues to stabilizing the magnetic field, which is a BIG if), ramping up a system which at it's core will create vast amounts of energy at tens of millions of degrees (fahrenheit) is a bit...problematic.

Still, I'm glad to see they're trying. Looks like they're not building too far from the new supercollider facility.

Hope at some point the US realizes that these advances, even when funded by multiple countries, matter, and that there is a symbolic benefit to being the host country.
 

track

New member
Sep 6, 2008
124
2
0
Problem in DR is not just generation.

DR has problems in power transmission, High Voltage lines from Puerto Plata to Santiago, Santo Domingo to Santiago, Montecisti to Santiago, etc.

Distribution

Collecting the cash

Even if the DR has over generation ( That they don't ) the power lines do not have the capacity to grow or capacity to deliver all the power. When ever you visit Cabarete, or Bani, or Nagua, San Francisco, .. You will notice power pole ( high poles with 3 thick wires, 69KV) , falling apart, sometimes sparking. Those are overloaded lines that need to be change or upgraded ( Change ). That will take time and money.

If you drive from Santo Domingo to Santiago, near the Bridge to San Francisco on the main Highway you will see very big power towers, those where installed for the public to see that they are working hard. That will be the Electric Superhighway for DR. Until then, Generator or New generators can't output more power because it can not be transmitted with out overloading the existent power lines.

Then you have the customer that like to have "light" but will not pay because, I don't know, they think it should be free!
But that's nothing compare to the big industries that try to fix the meters or just erase some kilowatts per month.

Another problem is uncontrolled growth. Little to none, research on power requirement per zone. The way it works in DR, make the project, then find out where to get the power.

Plus, vandalism, the need for cooper and aluminum.

Lets not forget the big amount of people working in the EdeSur, EdeEste and EdeSur trying to make things better, but with all the limitations on hand. They have a never ending job because of all the previous problems.
....
 

MikeFisher

The Fisherman/Weather Mod
Feb 28, 2006
13,766
2,195
113
Punta Cana/DR
www.mikefisher.fun
In 1981, our office (Special Advisory to the President), hosted a Canadian delegation offering a turn-key project for the installation of a self-financed 1000MW CANDU nuclear power facility, to be installed in the Barahona peninsula. The project found absolutely no government support, and the proposal lasted less than a cockroach in a chicken coop.

a nuclear power plant in the DR??
on the Barahona Peninsula??
heck, that's much tooo close to my home in PC,
i would try to move out of the caribben on some pacific island right away.
nuclear power controled by the today's corrupt dominican oficials?
by the people who control today's blackouts and narcotraffics??

nice kidding guys

so you could also build such in haiti and let them control the stuff.

the international program with the facility in france is new stuff and sounds promising for the far future, but will not resolve any energy problem on this island in this century.
Mike
 

track

New member
Sep 6, 2008
124
2
0
a nuclear power plant in the DR??
on the Barahona Peninsula??
heck, that's much tooo close to my home in PC,
i would try to move out of the caribben on some pacific island right away.
nuclear power controled by the today's corrupt dominican oficials?
by the people who control today's blackouts and narcotraffics??

nice kidding guys

so you could also build such in haiti and let them control the stuff.

the international program with the facility in france is new stuff and sounds promising for the far future, but will not resolve any energy problem on this island in this century.
Mike

Hey Mike, I have a better Idea, make the Power Plant ("The one in Barahona"), public Domain, for anyone to take some stuff! home. You know, a bit of plutonium here and there for kids to play, and the waste, could be re used. Else, the DR could negotiate with Terrorists .
AH! This hurts just typing!
You will have to make a stop in the moon and then move to mars!:ninja:
 

MikeFisher

The Fisherman/Weather Mod
Feb 28, 2006
13,766
2,195
113
Punta Cana/DR
www.mikefisher.fun
why it hurts to type about dealing with terrorists?
todays they buy their weapons in all countries,
even in those who blame them afterwards for using them against their boys.
moon and mars,
yeap,
i am planning on a farther route myself in such case
Mike
 

JRMirador

Snap!
Oct 15, 2008
121
10
0
76
Las Lomas de Azua
a nuclear power plant in the DR??
on the Barahona Peninsula??
heck, that's much tooo close to my home in PC,
i would try to move out of the caribben on some pacific island right away.
nuclear power controled by the today's corrupt dominican oficials?
by the people who control today's blackouts and narcotraffics??

nice kidding guys

so you could also build such in haiti and let them control the stuff.

the international program with the facility in france is new stuff and sounds promising for the far future, but will not resolve any energy problem on this island in this century.
Mike

Mike, the proposal for a nuclear plant in Barahona was a concession agreement, and specified that the plant would be operated by Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. There was no provision for the ownership or operation of the plant by the Dominican Republic. Also, the energy produced would be available for both, Haiti and the DR.
 

DRob

Gold
Aug 15, 2007
8,234
594
113
a nuclear power plant in the DR??
on the Barahona Peninsula??
heck, that's much tooo close to my home in PC,
i would try to move out of the caribben on some pacific island right away.
nuclear power controled by the today's corrupt dominican oficials?
by the people who control today's blackouts and narcotraffics??

nice kidding guys

so you could also build such in haiti and let them control the stuff.

the international program with the facility in france is new stuff and sounds promising for the far future, but will not resolve any energy problem on this island in this century.
Mike

Ah, there it is, the biggest problem surrounding nuclear plants.

Not the security or safety issues.

Not the costs (10 billion dollars is cheap when 1) you amortize it over the 7+ decade lifespan of a modern plant and 2) your costs after a year basically drop to covering the payroll).

It's NIMBYism. Everybody wants cheap and safe power, so long as the plant is Not In My Back Yard.

As has been stated earlier, currently DR's grid is only providing two-thirds of the throughput generally needed. I agree that something needs to be done. While I do like nuclear, the reality is a traditional plant takes 10 years to go online, probably double that in DR. Natural gas-fired plants are quick, but incrementally more expensive over time. Solar and geothermal are still too expensive for a third world country budget, and investors are just getting comfortable with the technology. Wind would be very promising, and I understand there have been some inroads near Samana, but I don't know if they have the cash for a true wind farm, and the possibility of hurricane damage may disincentivize investors.

Unfortunately, as our Chinese friends know all too well, coal fired plants are cheap to run (assuming you've got plenty of easily obtainable coal,) but isn't the cleanest technology out there. I imagine that will be the eventual solution in the short term.
 
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