The President of the Republic, José Raúl Mulino, met this morning with the president of Naturgy of Spain, Francisco Reynes, and with Sebastián Pérez, of Naturgy Panama, with whom he addressed the need to improve the service that this company provides to users in the country, in response to complaints about deficiencies and damage to electronic equipment in homes.
During the meeting, which took place at the Palacio de Las Garzas, Naturgy directors committed to improving the service and making the investments required in Panama to meet the demands, reported the Minister of the Presidency, Juan Carlos Orillac. , who participated in the meeting, along with Zelmar Rodríguez, general administrator of the National Public Services Authority (ASEP), and Juan Manuel Urriola, national secretary of Energy (SNE).
“The president was very clear in pointing out the discontent of the population, of the clients, in relation to the service that is being provided, in this case Naturgy, knowing that the other company has a similar situation,” said Orillac, for whom The meeting was satisfactory.
Regarding the investments made to improve services, he explained that the company, in coordination with the ASEP, is executing a program with a schedule until December 31 of this year and that includes the attention of luminaires at the national level that have been lost in time, while maintenance and repair work on system lines will extend until February of next year. The construction of new double circuit lines at specific points is also contemplated, so that, in the event of maintenance, the service is not affected.
For his part, Rodríguez pointed out that the program executed by the company consists of an “intensive plan” agreed with the ASEP and corresponds to the first phase of the investments that Naturgy has to make to improve service to users, an issue that The current government administration has given it priority.
“Of course, it is an indication, an instruction from Mr. President, and two of the most important things for him are the water supply and the energy supply, so we are in constant meetings and communications, and we supervise these companies,” the ASEP administrator stressed.
For the president of Naturgy Panama, the visit of the top executive of the company, based in Spain, “is a reliable example of the company’s interest in Panama” and he said that they are there to support “and with the intention of staying and contributing to the benefit of the country.” “We are working hand in hand with the regulator on plans that we have called immediate, which are already being executed until the month of February, and that we are all betting on the same thing, because each time the quality of the service improves,” he said.
According to Pérez, energy demand has contracted a little more, perhaps due to the temperature. However, it foresees growth between 3% and 4% in the coming years, taking into account the new projects that will come into operation, such as Line 3 of the Panama Metro or the projects that are part of the “aggressive plan” of investments in infrastructure of President Mulino’s government, such as the David – Panama train and the development of water treatment plants, among others, which benefit the country and contribute to electricity consumption.
