The president of the Dominican Free Zones Association (Adozona), Aquiles Bermudez told the press yesterday, Wednesday 30 July 2014 that the deficient electricity service in the Dominican Republic is a main obstacle to the development of the manufacturing sector. Reporting that the industrial free zone sector had grown by 3.9% during the first quarter of the year, he said that the DR will not be able to compete and increase exports and offer quality products to its population without a constant power service with stable voltage at competitive prices.
Bermudez said that energy was a serious issue that had to be dealt with jointly by the public and private sectors. “The government has to issue clear rules of the game and say that everyone who consumes power has to pay for it,” he stated.
He said that power served and not collected has resulted in government subsidies of US$1.2 billion to US$1.3 billion a year that could be used for investing in infrastructure.
Bermudez made the statements when being interviewed by the press after the signing of an agreement with seven institutions for the prevention of gender violence in industrial free zones.
http://www.diariolibre.com/economia/2014/07/31/i725751_zonas-francas-quejan-mal-servicio-elctrico.html