Forbes Energy has plans to invest US$45 million in the DR to expand its energy operations. The Newport, Rhode Island-based company has been operating in the DR for seven years, as reported in El Caribe. Lucien Forbes, president of the company says that it seeks to install a plant to produce 200,000 daily liters of ethanol in Montellano, Puerto Plata. The company will be the first to process sugar cane to produce ethanol.