President Luis Abinader announced on Thursday that, in the coming days, the tender for 800 megabytes of natural gas with its storage will start a project to produce this type of energy in Manzanillo, Montecristi.
Abinader spoke during the signing of the Pact for Electricity between various sectors, in which the Minister of Energy and Mines, Antonio Almonte, added that about ten contracts for the sale of renewable energy (solar and wind) will soon be initiated.
He said that the companies to which these contracts will be awarded have permanent concessions, some of them for seven, six and five years. This is the direct step towards the contract of sale of energy to distribution companies.
Regarding the Electricity Pact, Abinader considered that this agreement (the Electricity Pact) is not perfect, but it is possible.
“This pact is not perfect, I really do not agree with some parties that would like to advance more, but it is possible and, as Minister Almonte (Antonio Almonte) explained, the points I objected to are already applied as The government has the necessary coherence and respects what we believe the electricity sector should do and improve, ”the president said during the signing of the pact.
He added that the government did not oppose the proposals, but called for its extension with actions such as the liquidation of CDEEE, in case of elimination of councils, Edes audits and the Punta Catalina project.
The head of state also assured that the deficit of the electricity sector is responsible for half of the debt of the country’s non-financial public sector, as well as highlighting the lack of competitiveness and energy confidence in the Dominican Republic.
While Rafael Toribio, President of the Economic and Social Council, indicated that the signing of this agreement does not mean that the outstanding issues will not be addressed later; rather, there is a political decision to continue the dialogue with the sectors involved.
According to Antonio Almonte, the energy supply could have a lower cost if we “clean the electrical system of distortions”, which require the application of the law and amendments to some regulations, which are made in the pact on electricity.
“We could bring a more stable electricity service to Dominican society, with abundant energy and at a lower cost,” Almonte said.
The pact covers topics such as reducing costs and improving services, environmental issues, tariffs, among others, which will contribute to the development of a more competitive and transparent service, at a lower cost and with higher energy production for all sectors.