Dominican power companies to break up distributors

SANTO DOMINGO, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC - The Dominican State-owned power companies grouped in CDEEE announced a plan to mitigate the rise in fuel prices, which includes focusing the subsidy for the poorer population through the Blackouts Reduction Program (PRA), the delivery of 3 million low-consumption light bulbs and a breakup of the distributors.

In a press conference CDEEE vice president Radhamés Segura said some points of the Business Council (Conep) report were “disphased” and discarded the elimination of the subsidy on electricity, because many Dominicans cannot pay the bill at the current rate.

The Plan breaks up Edenorte into the Santiago, Puerto Plata, La Vega, San Francisco Mao and Valverde subsectors, whereas EdeSur is divided into Santo Domingo, San Cristóbal, Azua and San Juan. EdeEste’s operations will be announced in the next few days.

Those divisions are to become small distributors which will take over the billing and lower direct losses.

Meanwhile the PRA will no longer operate geographically and instead focused on houses, in some cases resorting to the solidarity card the Government issues to people of low income.

Also the distribution of around 3 million of a total of 10 million low consumption light bulbs begins mid-July.