Work on the dam at Pinalito, Constanza, high in the Central Mountain range, was initiated yesterday, as President Fernandez pushed a button that sent several tons of earth and gravel into the air. The dam is part of an assistance package offered to the DR by Brazil. According to Hoy, the water barrier will have a projected cost of US$132 million to be financed by the National Bank for Social and Economic Development of Brazil (BANDES). The dam will use the waters from the Tireo River, upstream from the River Blanco. The hydroelectric project will supply 50 MW to the national grid. President Fernandez was accompanied by Rafael Suero Miliano, the head of the Dominican Hydroelectric Businesses; Marcos Cruz, the representative of the Brazilian consortium Odebrecht; Isaias da Silva, the Brazilian consul; and Radhames Segura, the executive vice-president of the CDEEE. The project envisions a 2-mile tunnel that will bring waters from the Sonador Creek and add to the total water used by the hydroelectric generators. According to current estimates, the new dam and its generators will save the country nearly a 250,000 barrels of oil annually, which savings will pay for the project.