Two-headed octopus said to have controlled power utilities

[Dolores]

Energy and Mines Minister Antonio Almonte told Listin Diario that audits underway at the three government power utilities reveal major irregularities. Almonte says a “two-headed octopus” was profiteering from family ties to win generous government contracts with the utilities. He made the observation coinciding with the recent sending to preventive custody of several government officials, contractors and alleged front men in a case the Justice Department has named “Anti-Octopus Operation.”

Furthermore, Almonte, who is a nuclear engineer, said that despite the billiionaire contracting, the government had made very little investment in the three utilities over the past eight years.

Almonte said that the great challenge of the national electricity sector is not generation. For the Minister of Energy and Mines, Antonio Almonte, the most difficult obstacles are...

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[Cdn_Gringo]

A case of the ostrich burning its head in the sand? The DR clearly has electricity generation problems. Often there is not enough power to meet the demand. Quite frequently generation plants are offline for maintenance that should have been done long ago or at least on a regular schedule. However, I have to agree that the major faults in the system lie in the distribution network. Even with a somewhat regular maintenance schedule the distribution of the generated electricity is something no one can rely on as a matter of course. The power can and does drop out at any time of the day or night in many locations for a multitude of reasons. I find it simply astounding that this country still relies on above ground wires to move electricity from place to place. With the yearly hurricane threat, one would assume someone must have considered the lessons offered by Puerto Rico a few years back when their grid was almost completely destroyed by a storm. The electricity companies desperately need to set minimum standards for the distribution network and check the rotating contractors who work on these lines to ensure that their work meets these standards. Blown fuses and equipment killing power fluctuations on distribution lines is inexcusable these days. But at least most of us have power most of the time. Large sections of the countryside still can't say the same thing. It's unnerving and tiring wondering when the power will fail next and how long it will be out for day after day. A reality that for many can and should change in this day and age of the the DR's technical development. Reliable power and water delivery two essential services that should have been a top priority for a long time now. If this had been the case, many of the issues we experience that result in the loss of service would be well behind us and the country would be much better off for the effort. The problems to be addressed are many but none of these are insurmountable if the will to better the situation actually existed or was made a priority.

 

[arturo]

Where there is a will there is a way. There clearly is no will.

A case of the ostrich burning its head in the sand? The DR clearly has electricity generation problems. Often there is not enough power to meet the demand. Quite frequently generation plants are offline for maintenance that should have been done long ago or at least on a regular schedule. However, I have to agree that the major faults in the system lie in the distribution network. Even with a somewhat regular maintenance schedule the distribution of the generated electricity is something no one can rely on as a matter of course. The power can and does drop out at any time of the day or night in many locations for a multitude of reasons. I find it simply astounding that this country still relies on above ground wires to move electricity from place to place. With the yearly hurricane threat, one would assume someone must have considered the lessons offered by Puerto Rico a few years back when their grid was almost completely destroyed by a storm. The electricity companies desperately need to set minimum standards for the distribution network and check the rotating contractors who work on these lines to ensure that their work meets these standards. Blown fuses and equipment killing power fluctuations on distribution lines is inexcusable these days. But at least most of us have power most of the time. Large sections of the countryside still can't say the same thing. It's unnerving and tiring wondering when the power will fail next and how long it will be out for day after day. A reality that for many can and should change in this day and age of the the DR's technical development. Reliable power and water delivery two essential services that should have been a top priority for a long time now. If this had been the case, many of the issues we experience that result in the loss of service would be well behind us and the country would be much better off for the effort. The problems to be addressed are many but none of these are insurmountable if the will to better the situation actually existed or was made a priority.

 

[Dolores]

I would think there is now a will.

Of course, new governments usually start well, it is after two years or into the second term that they get lax.
But the Abinader administration seems to be taking major steps for real transformations of government institutions.

 

[william webster]

So far -- so good

I hope this is the real deal....... looking pretty good right about now

 

[zoomzx11]

So far -- so good

I hope this is the real deal....... looking pretty good right about now

Love the optimism.

 

[chico bill]

The power companies wont do maintenance. My neighbors and I have pointed out a wood pol that is leaning at 30 degrees in Los Cerros and only being kept upright by a log cable tied to a tree
EdeNorte has been out many months ago, seen it, and just walks away.
Certainly if will fall bringing down power lines in the near future, but EdeNorte just waits for the crisis and the pole to fall, when a simple fix would be to place a concrete pole alongside and transfer the wires, but that won't happen.
Incompetence in the DR Dictionary is a photo of the EdeNorte (mis)management team.

 

[Dolores]

What we are all reading/hearing is that there was big time corruption in the utilities. It will probably take the government at least a year to reorganize. In 2022 there should be considerable savings for big improvements in the electricity sector. Just looking at the city wiring, we all know it is a disaster in the making if a hurricane were to hit. Lots of mismanagement, but now there seems to be a will to change somewhat. Time will tell.

 

[Dolores]

Minister Almonte says the Edes (government-owned utilities) have already had savings of RD$3 billion in the first six months of the Abinader administration, and they expect to cut costs by RD$15 billion more in 2021. Lots of wasteful spending.

Read here in Spanish:

Destacan trabajo realizado en EDES; se han ahorrado más de tres mil millones de pesos

Todas las noticias de hoy, nacionales e internacionales en un solo lugar. Con el sello de transparencia de Nuria Piera.

n.com.do

 

[william webster]

Back 2-3 yrs here in Cabrera we had 7 fires destroying houses & businesses.

EdenNorte had strung all new hi powered cables on the roads....
but left the feeble feeds to the customers.

The company admits the problem.

One large villa has been paid ~$20M DOP
Other cases are pending.... but delayed with the CV19 situation

Some of those 7 had no contract
They are SOL

 

[Dolores]

Can give personal testimony that makes me believe the changes are happening. My building (where I live and work) is connected underground to the city grid. The underground cable had been repaired on several times. The building dates back to 1979. Some years back, we had a fire. Problem was that underground cable. EdeSur came and repaired it. It happened again, and was repaired. The EdeSur engineer said we should pay for a new cable. The cable alone was RD$300,000 plus the installation by a private company. We asked another engineer and he quoted RD$1 million.

In the building we even changed management to a company that said they had the connections in EdeSur to fix the problem -- get EdeSur to install a new cable at their cost. The grid connection is responsibility of Edesur.

That building management company turned out to be just hot air, so we let them go. And then we had another explosion. This time around, I was the person in charge of the building. And guess what? Again the people of EdeSur hinted that we had to buy the cable, that it shouldn't be underground because it made things difficult for repairing... At my insistence, the engineer admitted it was their responsibility. I told him it wasn't going to look good for the new EdeSur administration if a real fire occurred at the building because of their own negligence. We happen to be on a main city street. I asked him to see what he could do for us.

He returned with a brand new cable for us. EdeSur under new administration (Milton Morrison) came up with the cable and installed a brand new connection to our building. Perhaps it was good timing and they had the cables. But maybe it is they are keeping inventories stocked with their real needs. Can only feel optimism better times are here for the country. Our cost... we gave the crew RD$2,000 in a tip. They finished the installation around 8pm.