The general manager of the Punta Catalina Thermoelectric Plant, Jaime Aristy Escuder says the outdoor deposit of the rock ash waste from the power plant was designed and built to meet local and international standards, specifically the World Bank’s IFC Guidelines. He said local cement plants have purchased loads of ashes. Other companies are interested.
The National Committee to Combat Climate Change (CNLCC) warns of the dangers to health and environment of the rising piles of the toxic waste.
Aristy said that the area where the wastes is deposited has a bottom liner to prevent its release into the ground. He said the company has been carrying out monthly tests of the underground water that show there has not been contamination of the subsoil and that the design and waste management controls are effective.
He said the plan is to eventually close off the area. Solar geomembranes will be used to cover it, and a wide strip of vegetation will be planted. He said eventually the space is designed for the installation of 15 MW of solar energy.
Meanwhile, Antonio Almonte, energy expert for the opposition Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM), said that the Punta Catalina power plant has serious technical deficiencies that impede it from operating with the quality, performance and reliability stipulated in the construction contract. During a press conference, engineer Almonte complained that the Public Electricity Corporation (CDEEE) had accepted as good and valid the installation and performance of the two plants despite the fact that these did not pass the so-called Verification of Operational Restrictions (VEROPE) tests that were carried out by an independent consulting firm, hired by the CDEEE itself through the CDEEE-CCC-PEEX-2019-0004 tender. The executive vice president of the CDEEE is the campaign manager for ruling Dominican Liberation Party (PLD) presidential candidate, Gonzalo Castillo. Castillo, when Public Works minister, signed off on the contracting for the controversial Odebrecht-built power coal-fired power plant.
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Listin Diario
El Dia
DR1 News
5 June 2020