The Superintendence of Electricity (SIE) has intervened in the Luz y Fuerza power company in Las Terrenas, Samana in the northeast of the country and says that it will carry out interconnection works that will improve service and lower costs of the service within four months. The interconnection will supply power to Las Terrenas produced at a lower cost by generators connected to EdeNorte, the state-owned power distributor. Luz y Fuerza serves around 10,500 customers, mainly in the Las Terrenas tourist area.
SIE Administrative Council member Diogenes Rodriguez Grullon and SIE superintendent Angel Cano told Listin Diario that there have been problems with the service provided by Luz and Fuerza, which is outside the national system and has 30 different tariffs it charges its clients with no logic behind the different rates.
The SIE added that it held a meeting in Las Terrenas on Saturday, 6 December 2014 with National Energy Commission (CNE) president Juan Rodriguez, Northern Electricity Distribution Company (EdeNorte) administrator Julio Cesar Correa, and local community leaders to work out how to guarantee service to the population.
The SIE will be sending specialists to establish the new tariffs, saying that in future there would only be four different levels. SIE, Edenorte, CNE and the Electricity Transmission Company (ETED) will work together to make the connection to the national grid at a cost of US$4 million.
The plan is to connect Las Terrenas to the Sanchez substation. There will be 17.2 kilometers of power lines from Sanchez, through La Guazara and Los Puentes up to Las Terrenas.
Luz y Fuerza has a concession contract with the government and is the owner of the distribution lines into Las Terrenas. While very expensive, electricity in Las Terrenas has been known to be reliable. The high cost is compensated when the customers do not have to install or run large backup generators as is the case with customers of government power companies, including EdeNorte.
http://www.listindiario.com/economia-and-negocios/2014/12/8/348409/Superintendencia-Electricidad-bajara-luz-en-Las-Terrenas