The “light” at the end of the tunnel may not be a train charging down the tracks. With the launch of the “Electricity Sector Recovery Plan” the IMF and the CDEEE as well as millions of consumers are hoping for better service over the coming months and years. The problems and the causes are well known, their historical roots have been examined, and now Francisco Mendez, the Superintendent of Power has spoken to reporters at Hoy about the three fundamental points in the recovery efforts. First on the list is to guarantee, during this year, at least 70% of the demand. Next is to standardize the electricity rates and focus the subsidy as much as possible on those who really need it. And the last and most difficult point is to convert those thousands of Dominicans who use electricity without paying into paying customers. According to Mendez, the first point is pretty much a given since the government budgeted US$350 million to be spent on subsidies to the distributors in order to improve cash flows and reduce operating deficits. While the guarantee of providing power for at least 10-12 hours a day in the poorest barrios is not set in stone, it should become possible as the collection levels increase. For Mendez, the greatest challenge will be to include the thousands of people that use electricity without paying for it. Although stealing of energy is not restricted to the poor neighborhoods, it will be hardest to eliminate and regulate it in those areas. The Superintendent of Electricity said that by the beginning of 2006, the government expects to have fulfilled these three aims.