Rafael Salazar Rodriguez, the head of the Dominican Hydro-Electric Company (EGEHID), told interviewers of El Matinal on Channel 5 that studies are underway for the construction and implementation of desalination plants in the province of La Altagracia due to the high demand for drinking water in the tourist areas along that coastline. He said that there are some short-term projects under study for the tourist areas. He said that such projects are certainly feasible in areas such as Bavaro and Punta Cana.
The major issues surrounding desalination of ocean water are costs and brine (salmuera), the end product after desalination. As a possible solution for the first of these issues, Salazar Rodriguez said that wind and wave energy processes were being studied to reduce the costs of desalination. He did not mention the issues regarding the brine, which can affect local ecosystems. He did mention the construction of dams on the Soco and Higüey rivers as an interim solution to the demand for water in the nation’s most intense tourist areas.
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El Dia
23 February 2026