The Dominican Republic has a stable electricity service, but it is far from financially balanced, said Julio Virgilio Brache, president of the Association of Industries of the Dominican Republic (AIRD) yesterday.
He said new investments and new perspectives are needed, especially in an economy whose continued growth means more and more demand for energy,
Brache made his remarks while giving opening remarks at the “Industrial Meeting: Challenges of the Electricity Sector in the Dominican Republic,” which featured the Superintendent of Electricity, Andrés Astacio.
“One of the most pressing problems of recent decades, and one for which we have not found a definitive solution or equilibrium, is the electricity problem. We made a Pact in which we proposed to achieve a goal: ‘an electric service under the principles of universality, accessibility, efficiency, transparency, responsibility, continuity, reasonableness and tariff equity,’” he said.
The AIRD president stressed the need for new investments and prospects to meet the growing demand for electricity, vital for the country’s industrial and economic development. “Responding to this and other challenges is not a matter for just one voice. Uniting wills is essential,” he added.
“We are talking about reforms. This is one of the most important keys to the future of the nation’s economic and social development, but we firmly believe that we must also be clear that any reform will require political will, on the one hand, and the total commitment of the public and private sectors,” he said.
In presenting the challenges of the sector, the Superintendent of Electricity explained that the supply of demand went from 84.72% in 2017 to 98% in 2023.
