Radhames Segura, the administrator of the state electricity utility (CDE) said that the different government institutions that tackled the electricity problems had major differences which significantly contributed to the delay in the present administration providing relief to the long power outages that still occur in the DR. Segura said that the CDE maintained differences with the Commission for the Reform of Public Enterprise (CREP), the Technical Secretariat of the Presidency and the Superintendency of Electricity. In an interview with the Listín Diario newspaper, he criticized the CREP did not take into consideration that the booming economy would spur an increase in demand. He said power demand is now at 1,600 megawatts, up from 1,300 megawatts at the time of the privatization began. This has placed an increased burden on the system. Segura was an advocate of the installation of new plants by the government, regardless of the privatization, so the transition would be less traumatic. The CREP was against the government investing in power plants. Segura said he said on countless times that there was no quick fix to the energy crisis that had more than 30 years in the making. Nevertheless, he said that there was a lack of planning and admitted that the new investors are seeking high profitability margins. He said that the government did not incorporate previsions regarding electricity tariffs, the creation of the Coordinating Organization, systems to measure power supplied and generated, and that the privatization process went through despite Congress not passing the General Electricity Bill prior to passing the distribution and generation of power in bulk to the private sector. Nevertheless, Segura was optimistic that time will bring relief and problems will be sorted out.
