Economist and business leader Celso Marranzini has refuted statements made by a former vice-president of the old Dominican Corporation of State-owned Electricity Companies (CDEEE), Ruben Jimenez Bichara, who called the current situation of the various electricity producers “unsustainable.” Marranzini said that he begged to differ. Celso Marranzini at present is the highest-ranking energy officer for the Abinader administration (president of the Consejo Unificado de las Empresas Electricas – CUED), comparative to what Jimenez Bichara was during the past Medina administration.
Responding to statements by his predecessor, Marranzini said that the current electricity situation is quite different from the one described by Jimenez Bichara, and that the current administration has managed to significantly better both efficiency and corporate transparency throughout the sector.
Never one to mince words, Marranzini invited Jimenez Bichara to talk about the results of his time as the head of the EdeEste without any distortions, of course. The head of the Unified Council of Electricity Distributions Companies (CUEDE), Marranzini noted that, currently, the three electricity distributors, EdeEste, EdeSur, and EdeNorte, are gradually reducing losses and improving electricity service to customers.
He noted that during Jimenez Bichara’s time in the CDEEE, only 87% of the electricity acquired was successfully distributed, while today 100% is being distributed.
Hitting even harder, Marranzini noted that during the time that Jimenez Bichara was heading the CDEEE, a major stumbling block for more efficient collections was the fact that the was a monopoly held by just one supplier of all of the electricity meters being purchased by the distributors.
Under the new management in 2024 over 573,000 meters were installed. This improved efficiency and lowered losses. Citing other errors in the statement made by Jimenez Bichara, Marranzini invited everyone to an open discussion of the current situation, but with credible data and without political shading of the facts.
The government has not addressed the surplus of employees in the government utilities, adding to the cost of energy. The government spends billions in the energy sector board. Meanwhile, economist Andy Dauhajre takes the side of big business and calls for tariff adjustments, while he urges the continuing of the ongoing plans to get more people to pay the true cost of the service.
7 Dias reports statistics from the Regional Center for Sustainable Economic Strategies (Crees) economic think tank indicate that the losses of the Electricity Distribution Companies (Edes) reached 42.2% of energy served as of December 2024. This situation reflects that the Edes purchased 20,390 gigawatts but did not bill for 7,674.2 gigawatts.
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EdeNorte
El Caribe
El Caribe
7 Dias
17 March 2025