The Shell Company’s resident director and a vice-president of the Dominican Refinery, Rafael Maradiaga, revealed that the REFIDOMSA had increased its demand for dollars by 34% over the first eight months of the year. The refinery bought US$1.202 billion dollars on the local market. At the same time Maradiaga estimated that to cover its needs for the last four months of the year the refinery would have to purchase an additional US$1.5 billion. And all this while the total number of barrels decreased by 4% over the first eight months of the year. According to Diario Libre, Maradiaga was very pleased that the Central Bank and the Reserve Bank of the Dominican Republic had obtained credit line that will allow the refinery to purchase dollars without putting more pressure on the internal exchange rate.