President Leonel Fernandez has ordered the power distribution companies (which are over 65% government owned) to crack down hard on those industries and businesses that are caught stealing electricity. He asked the National Energy Commission to work up legislation that would establish stronger penalties for those caught stealing power, often by rigging meters. He made the statements on his new weekly TV address, “Presidential Agenda.”
Speaking to the country, Fernandez said that the general opinion is that the poor are the ones that don’t pay for electricity, but that in reality “it is the business sector, the industries, commercial establishments, hotels and restaurants that have the greatest level of fraud.”
The President also announced that preliminary studies for the installation of two 300 megawatts each coal-fueled generators had been finished and he mentioned he expects World Bank support for these investments. The government has not gone public with the specifics of these generators. The President also urged the governmental CDEEE to speed up the renegotiation of the contracts with the generators that are supplying power. President Fernandez said that the deficit for the energy sector was US$650 million, more than the government spends on health or education.