The head of the state-owned Dominican Electricity Corporation (CDEEE), Ruben Jimenez Bichara says the entity had broken the US$500 million barrier of the company’s payment deficit in 2018, ending the year at US$665 million. The government had planned to transfer some US$425 million into the sector in 2018, but because of an increase in the cost of fuels, the government had to shell out another US$240 million.
Ever the defender of the government’s electricity sector, Jimenez Bichara said that once the country has access to less expensive electricity (read Punta Catalina’s 720 MW from coal-fired generators), the deficit will decrease significantly. Referring to Punta Catalina, the CDEEE boss said that by the end of February 2019, he expects to have the first Punta Catalina generated 200 MW on the national grid.
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Diario Libre
22 January 2019
