Santo Domingo.-Residential users and small businesses such as grocery stores, pharmacies and workshops with illegal electrical connections will have a period of six months to regularize their situation without facing penalties.
This was stated by Celso Marranzini Pérez, president of the Unified Council of Electricity Distribution Companies, when announcing that during this period they will be exempt from paying the deposit and the first invoice.
He highlighted that this incentive seeks to motivate the 800 thousand users illegally connected to the electrical system to formalize their status.
However, he warned that, at the end of this period, more severe measures will be implemented against illegal users, including the publication of their names in newspapers and monitoring by the Deputy Attorney General’s Office for the Electrical System.
“This cannot continue; between 800 and 900 million dollars are lost every year,” said Marranzini during his participation in the Weekly Lunch of the Corripio Communications Group, in which he was accompanied by José Luis Actis, general manager of Edesur; Andrés Cueto, general manager of Edenorte; and Mario Pizarro, general manager of Edeeste.
Guillermo Martínez, management control specialist, and Cornelio González, purchasing manager, also participated.
He explained that since January a supply control program has been applied, through which energy is rationed for three or four hours in the sectors with the largest illegal connections, as a way of reminding users that they must regularize themselves.
He explained that in the country there are approximately 800 thousand users illegally connected to the electrical networks, which generates significant losses for the EDE.
He said that some people consider these measures unfair, but he asked regularized clients to report those who do not comply with the payment.
Regarding the provinces with the highest poverty rates, he assured that circuits with prepaid meters will be implemented as a protection measure, in addition to assistance with the Electricity Bonus that exceeds 235 thousand users.
Improvements
The official highlighted the progress in different initiatives that apply, among which he highlighted the investment of 300 million dollars in networks, distributed in 100 million for each company, in addition to the installation and modernization of meters and investment in substations.
He indicated that of the three million EDE users, 1,734,645 already have telemeters, 688,533 have meters with telecuts, and 233,060 use prepaid meters. He reported that last year alone 635,439 meters were installed and that this year the installation of 400 thousand more is projected.
Marranzini stressed that no more manual cutting meters will be purchased due to their high cost. As an example, he cited Edesur that will save RD$60 million. On the other hand, he said that RD$2,113.3 million have been invested in substations, benefiting
Production
— Energy sales
The country will be ready to sell energy to Haiti and Puerto Rico at the end of 2028 with the 2,000 megawatts that will be added to the system of the different projects that are under construction, which means growth in energy production.
