Kevin Manning, vice president of the American Chamber of Commerce, and chief executive for Empresa Generadora Itabo (Ege Itabo), favors the full privatisation of all power generation and distribution in the DR. He suggested that the state sell its 50% share of the companies and just keep a regulatory role over the power sector. He estimated this could generate US$600 million for the state. Manning told El Siglo newspaper that there is a good investment climate in the DR. “The conditions here are much better than in other Latin American countries with more opportunities for profit,” he said. Manning also encouraged large companies to purchase power directly from the generators. He explained that the new Electricity Law allows companies that need more than two megawatts to buy directly from the generators, bypassing the distribution companies. This could mean savings of up to 30%. He also said by buying direct, the companies will suffer fewer power outages as they would then connect to the high tension lines.
