The President of the Tourism Commission of the Chamber of Deputies, deputy Enrique Rivera said he is against the installation of power barges and fuel storage facilities in the area of the Bay of Maimon in Puerto Plata on the North Coast. The government has authorized the installation of a 180 megawatts plant on power barges, a US$150 million investment by Keppel Fels Energy, a Singapore company, and its local representative Tenedora Guillot. Rivera fears a repeat of the Smith-Enron power plant tragedy. Prior to its installations, executives of Smith Enron had stated the plant would not contaminate the environs. The opposite occurred. Rivera recalls that the tourism development of the area of Costambar was “castrated” by the noise and soot contamination of the Smith Enron plant. He said that Puerto Plata has five generators – Coastal Technology, Ege Haina, Smith Enron and Puerto Plata Electricidad. He explained that the problem is that Puerto Plata does not have a preferential circuit and the power is routed away from Puerto Plata.
