In the past, when the government prepares for increasing power tariffs, blackouts come first, even in sectors that are supposed to receive 24-hour service, a category granted to areas where almost everyone in the neighborhood faithfully pays their bills. In the Dominican Republic, consumers cannot be even a day late or the service is cut off.
Hoy reports that there is a deficit of 259 megawatts, with supply of 1,991 megawatts and demand of 2,250. The government continues to run big deficits in the spending, and the difference between what is collected from consumers and what needs to be paid to the power generators. Interestingly, at a time when the deficit is hurting, since last month consumers have now been receiving power bills in colorfully printed envelopes. In the past, the effort was to distribute bills electronically and at most in a single folded sheet.