The Dominican Republic does not have enough electricity to carry out the most mundane activities. The front-page photograph of the Finance Commission of the Chamber of Deputies deliberating the recently submitted tax reform package in semi-darkness speaks louder than the biggest headlines. El Caribe says there is barely 600MW of power being supplied to the national grid ? 1,000 MW short of the estimated demand. Every possible activity in the country is being affected by the breakdown of the system, purely for economic reasons. Industry, commerce, education, legislation, transportation and most every facet of daily life are all interrupted by the continual blackouts. Fifteen-hour power outages, often continuous, are becoming the norm. In Santiago de los Caballeros, in the heart of the Cibao Valley, the situation reached unprecedented levels and the Chamber of Commerce called for immediate government action. Bloody protests marked the afternoon and evening in the more populous neighborhoods of Santiago, Moca and Santo Domingo. In Santiago, the area of ?Los Ciruelitos? ? always a hotspot ? became a virtual war zone with police and protesters exchanging shots for most of the afternoon and evening hours. The disturbance saw several people wounded and dozens of arrests, according to La Informacion out of Santiago. In Santo Domingo and Santiago, the standby electric generators are also giving up the ghost. In the capital city, the generator at Plaza Lincoln broke down after putting in months of 15-hour days. Similar occurrences happened at Plaza Central and at Campus A of the Pontifical Catholic University Madre y Maestra (PUCMM), and residents near the Pathology Institute are complaining of very disturbing odors that appear to emanate from the building. In Santiago, the two generators at one of the most exclusive addresses in the city have also broken down from overuse.
Even Forbes.com has run a story on the Dominican electric situation.
See: http://www.forbes.com/home/feeds/ap/2004/07/21/ap1464402.html