With Smith-Enron, Cogentrix III and the three AES units out of service, the national energy deficit reached 521 MW and put 187 of the 472 circuits offline for prolonged periods of time. Other generators are not working to full capacity, such as the Monte Rio which reduced its output to 60 MW down from the 87 MW being produced the day before yesterday. EGE-Haina also curbed its output, producing just 178.5 MW instead of the 303 MW that were available two days ago. Itabo, the hydro dams, Palamara and La Vega, the Estrella del Mar, Puerto Plata and Cogentrix I and II are the generators currently online and together supply around 920 MW to the national grid. Some of these generators are undergoing maintenance, some are shut down because of payment issues and others are in need of fuel. The operations manager of the Superintendent of Electricity’s office told Hoy reporters he was counting on having 1,182 MW to meet peak-hour consumption, a scenario that would represent a deficit of just 259 MW. On Wednesday, the Superintendent of Electricity Francisco Mendez told reporters he envisioned having to face a 25%-30% energy deficit from now until the electricity companies can resolve the economic issues that have hit the sector. He called for the citizens in those neighborhoods that receive subsidized electricity to conserve as much power as possible, while he also announced that the government would continue the program of reduced blackouts (PRA) through the month of December.