Speaking in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arabian Emirates, Minister of Energy and Mines and president of the National Energy Commission (CNE) Antonio Isa Conde appealed for more support in technical cooperation and guidance from countries with vast experience in sustainable investments to expand access to clean energy that contributes to inclusive economic growth in the Dominican Republic. He was speaking during the Seventh Session Period of the Assembly of the International Renewable Energy Agency that is presided by Italy with the Dominican Republic, Indonesia, Jordan and Morocco as vice presidents.
Isa Conde chaired a working session and said that renewable energy was high up on the Dominican government’s development agenda in order to make the most of the country’s solar, water, wind and biomass potential to provide electricity to remote areas.
He said that renewable energy development contributes to controlling environmental problems caused by the indiscriminate felling of trees to meet wood and charcoal demand in poor and inaccessible areas. He said that 4% of Dominicans do not have access to electricity, but in some provinces this percentage can exceed 30% because of the difficulties in expanding the national grid to these remote areas.
He said the national target is for 25% of the energy grid to be supplied by renewable energy by 2025.
The meeting was also attended by deputy minister of energy Ernesto Vilalta, Dominican ambassador to the United Arabian Emirates Clara Martinez Thedy and Dominican consul in the UAE, Eduardo Cintrón Morales.
The work sessions took place on 14 and 15 January 2017.
Isa Conde made his remarks at the same time the Medina government advances on the construction of the largest coal-fired power plant in the Caribbean, the thermoelectric power plant at Punta Catalina.
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Acento
16 January 2017
