The Minister of Energy and Mines, Antonio Almonte, appreciated the approval by the Chamber of Deputies of the contract for the public trust of the Punta Catalina Thermoelectric Power Plant and indicated that this mechanism will depoliticize this energy complex.
Almonte noted that the trust will allow Punta Catalina to participate in the electricity market as an independent agent, where the Dominican State only receives the benefits of the sale of electricity from those plants.
The official explained that Punta Catalina was part of the Dominican Corporation of State Electric Companies (CDEEE), but that it is in the process of definitive disappearance, and that its administration cannot fall into the hands of the Ministry of Energy and Mines because it does not have conditions legal to be a business owner.
“So, in order for Punta Catalina to participate by selling energy in the competing wholesale market, together with the other generating companies, it is formalized as an independent entity, and in this case the figure of the trust was used, whose charge is Trustee Reservations, SA, which has a technical council chaired by Celso Marranzini, “said Almonte, according to an institutional statement.
When interviewed in the television program RevistaTele 15, by Digital 15, Almonte insisted that the plant will operate as an independent company, whose benefits from the sale of energy will be of the Dominican State.
“Instead of being a company that is in the CDEEE, which is already dying, Punta Catalina is constituted in a company with its own premises, its own RNC, with all its characteristics, but belonging to the State, and will operate in the least politicized, through an independent firm, “he said.
The minister pointed out that this initiative seeks for Punta Catalina to be technically operated by an expert firm in the field, which guarantees the stability of the plants in order to meet one of the objectives of President Luis Abinader of supplying sufficient energy, of quality and at an affordable price to the Dominican population.
“That is why we have promoted, like no one else, the installation of renewable projects, mainly solar. We have approved more than 500 megawatts in contracts in projects in various parts of the country, “he added.
He emphasized that the objective of installing new energy projects is that in the short term the country has a sufficient supply of energy to supply the demand and a cold reserve of around 20 percent, to avoid blackouts in case of that one of the plants goes out of operation.
.