MANZANILLO, MONTECRISTI.- This city full of stories, with a clock as a municipal icon and a hill that rises like a fortress on the coast, has become the headquarters of the largest private investment in the history of the Dominican Republic.
A natural gas terminal, a gigantic storage tank and two electricity generators will be the engines that will drive an investment of US$1.75 billion and as its promoters expressed on several occasions: “without government money”.
The natural gas terminal has an 850 meter dock, the storage tank will have a capacity of 200 thousand cubic meters and each electricity generator is 420 megawatts for a total of 840 megawatts in natural gas between the two.
The gas terminal and one of the 420 megawatt plants is run by the consortium Mazanillo Gas y Power, made up of the Investment Company (the partner company of the Dominican State in the Itabo energy park), Shell Gas and Power Development and Energías de las Américas (ENERLA).
The second 420 megawatt plant was awarded by tender to the consortium Manzanillo Energy, made up of the companies Coastal Dominicana, Manzanillo Energy and Lindsayca.
Around these companies there are large Dominican capitals, which have made arrangements with foreign investors to be able to gain enough muscle to face the largest private investment in the country’s history.
The start of work on the project was headed by President Luis Abinader and at the table of honor are the faces that certify how the Dominican capital has embarked on this great economic project.
President Luis Abinader greets Amalia Vicini, observe Carlos Martí and Juan Vicini.
Next to the president were figures such as Amelia Vicini Lluberes (the female face of the Vicini family), Arturo Santana, Carlos Martí, José Miguel González Cuadra, who were accompanied by other actors such as the Shell GNL representative for the region, Ryan Lawrense, the directors of Manzanillo Energy, Guillermo Estrella Ramia and Silvia Vela widow Rodríguez (the widow of Huáscar Rodríguez), Luis Mejía Brache.
The 1.750 million dollars that will be invested in this combined project in Manzanillo has the peculiarity that it is below the 2.350 million dollars in which Punta Catalina was finally completed (two plants of 360 megawatts each and a dock to unload coal). .
In other words, the 840 megawatts of natural gas, the Natural Gas pier and the storage tank will cost 600 million pesos less than the Punta Catalina project.
hotel opening
President Abinader also participated in the inauguration of a hotel belonging to the well-known American chain “Super 8”, hotels that are usually characterized as being of the so-called “on the road” that operate on highways and are used daily by travelers.
“Super 8 Manzanillo by Wyndham” will serve first to accommodate the staff who will work on the new projects that are being built in Montecristi, but also to welcome adventure tourists who go to this province that has beaches, wetlands, national parks and the impressive nose.
The hotel project that was inaugurated in Manzanillo was started just a year ago and has already opened its doors, adding a heliport on its side.
