Santo Domingo. - Until the authorities apply efficient billing policies the electrical service will continue in permanent crisis raising costs and making the nation’s productive sector less competitive, said Industries Association (AIRD) president Manuel Diez Cabral, and Industry Association Federation (FAI) representative Ignacio Méndez yesterday.

Mendez said the constant blackouts have limited their industries’ growth capacity, a historical problem which in his view will begin to be solved when the State-owned power companies (CDEEE) and other regulators make “everybody” pay for electricity consumed. “What must be done is to begin enforcing the Law, to jail two or three so the others see the consequence of stealing energy.”

He said CDEEE administrator Celso Marranzini must concentrate on paying what’s owed to the generators since it’s a financial deficit and not of energy production.

Diez said the industrialists are willing to collaborate with whatever the authorities need to carry out suitable measures of collection. The time has already come for the country to draft a plan to solve its energetic deficiency, beginning by the generalizing the payment of the billing, once that stage is surpassed we can think about increasing output.”

The heads of the AIRD and the FAI support Maranzini’s appointment and although they acknowledge that the electrical problem can’t be solved immediately, confide in his administrative capacities.