Punta Catalina executives say the recent rains brought by Hurricane Irma have not affected the construction of the thermoelectric central. Jaime Aristy Escuder, general manager, said the plant is prepared to bear the brunt of any storm. He said that the video that circulated on social media showed flooding that occurred at the lower part of the site where the power plant is located that is six meters below the power plant.
On Monday, 11 September 2017, Aristy hosted a tour of journalists so they could see for themselves that the construction at the plant site continued. He said that the coal deposits are located 14 meters above sea level.
The National Committee against Climate Change (CNLCC) had called for the executive vice president of the Public Electricity Corporation (CDEEE) Ruben Jimenez Bichara to explain the flooding at the Punta Catalina plant. The committee says this is the second major flooding affecting the plant, with the first being on 29 April 2017. The CNLCC says the flooding is proof the site for the plant is inadequate.
“From an engineering standpoint what is happening in Punta Catalina is disappointing and unacceptable for an investment of around two billion dollars,” the Committee said.
The committee says the vulnerability of the site was mentioned in the environmental impact report deposited by the CDEEE at the Ministry of Environment.
The committee asks what would happen if a major hurricane would affect the area, which cannot be discarded in the next years. The CNLCC says that the flooding is evidence of the vulnerability of the power plant upon which 40% of the supply of electricity in the country will depend on. “This should generate grave alarms as to what it means for energy security in the country,” states the CNLCC.
Read more in Spanish:
Noticias SIN
Diario Libre
12 September 2017
