Marco Mantovanelli, who represents the World Bank in the Dominican Republic, advised the government not to rush the proposed reprivatization of the electricity distribution companies, the “Edes”, that were repossessed by the government from the private company Union Fenosa in October. Mantovanelli said that the authorities needed to look into Edesur and Edenorte’s sustainability before taking any such decision. “We are not saying ‘privatize tomorrow’ – our position has been ‘how are we going to maintain these companies, what is their sustainability’ – that has been the question.” The Bank’s view is that there should be a consultation with all parts of the power sector in order to formulate a comprehensive strategy. Mantovanelli said that the state model had failed, as had the partial privatization, in the absence of a well-defined regulation capacity. As well as the IMF loans, funds from the Inter-American Development Bank and the World Bank itself, totalling between US$250-US$300 million, are due to arrive in the country in January. Mantovanelli said that part of these could be used by the government “for the sustainability of the electricity sector” and that the Bank was considering a further “social stabilization loan” of US$100 million, which he said could go towards “guaranteeing minimum sustainability” of the power sector or for social programs. According to a report in Listin Diario’s economic section, 350,000 Dominican households have no electricity at all, while a further 800,000 are connected “informally”.