The Minister of Energy and Mines, Antonio Almonte, gathered the managers and directors of the official entities and companies of the electricity sector and declared a coordination team in permanent session to guarantee the continuity and stability of the national electricity sector.
The sector will have the necessary human and logistical resources, a large part of which will be concentrated in the Eastern region, which could be the most affected by the atmospheric phenomenon.
The coordinating team will be headed by Minister Almonte, who together with Mr. Manuel Lara, president of the Unified Council of Electricity Distribution Companies (CUED) will be the sector’s spokespersons during the crisis.
The Committee will be made up of the owners or representatives of the Dominican Electric Transmission (ETED) and Dominican Hydroelectric Generation (EGEHID) companies.
During the meeting, held in the main room of the MEM, representatives of each of the electricity sector entities reported on the activation of their contingency plans in the event of atmospheric phenomena, in order to ensure stability in the service and maintain the conditions of all electrical infrastructure: generation, transmission and distribution.
The Vice Minister of Energy, Rafael Gómez, gave a report on the contacts made with the electric generators to find out about their plans to keep the power plants safe and supplied with fuel.
Engineer Máximo D’Oleo, technical deputy director of EGEHID, explained the situation of the hydroelectric dams and the prevention measures adopted in coordination with the authorities of the Emergency Operations Center (COE).
Engineer Martín Robles, administrator of ETED, explained that since the COE’s first bulletin was issued, the institution’s Contingency Plan was activated to prevent damage to electrical networks and reported that all its brigades and technicians remain alert to act anywhere in the country.
The administrators of Edesur, Milton Morrison and Edenorte, Andrés Cueto, spoke in similar terms, as did the representatives of Edeeste, Andrés Julio Portes, Príamo Féliz Peña and Félix A. Otto.
Minister Almonte expressed President Luis Abinader’s concern, expressed at a meeting on Friday night, that plans were available
preventative measures in the face of Fiona’s passage but also that immediate response teams be put together to solve possible damage in the areas that could be affected.
Likewise, Almonte spoke of the need for the equipment, personnel and resources of all the companies in the sector to be available to the areas that need it most in order to restore the service in the shortest possible time in the affected homes and areas.
He said that due to the meteorological reports, attention had to be paid to the eastern region of the country and ordered that command centers be created in areas such as San Pedro de Macorís and Higüey, as well as in areas of greater vulnerability.
The meeting was also attended by the executive vice president of the Unified Council, Manuel Bonilla, the member of that Council, Bienvenido Mejía, Jorge Mota Nín, from the Vice Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy Security, and technicians from the different departments of the electricity sector.
