SANTO DOMINGO.- President Leonel Fernandez yesterday met with the representatives of the power companies to the National Palace to look for immediate alternatives to confront the electricity crisis, and agreed to pay them US$15 million this week, and another US$ 700 million for the estimated 2009 deficit.
For the rest of July the Government plans to pay around US$15 million to total US$30 million.
Fernandez’s meeting with the executives of the power companies takes place less than 24 hours after his return the country Sunday from a 10 day visit to the Middle East, during which the electricity service collapsed several times, including Thursday’s nationwide blackout.
State-owned Electrical Companies (CDEEE) vice president Radhamés Segura also participated in the meeting with the representatives of the companies EGE-Haina, the Empresa de Transmision and AES Dominicana.
In a press conference afterwards, Segura blamed the latest blackouts on the rise in the population’s energy demand, sparked by the heat wave which affects Dominican Republic.
“We’ve reached an agreement with the AES group, which operates the largest number of power plants in the country, to secure US$15 million to bring an additional gas boat which could work simultaneously at the AES Andres power station, which is operating at total capacity with 300 megawatts, and to place in operation at least one of the turbines of the Dominican Power Partners with 90 permanent megawatts, from today to August 31."

Not that I'd expect anything less to be going on behind closed doors with those two.
Once again, a collective IQ of a gnat.
It is their inbred corruption mentality that has destroyed the electric grid.
Get rid of the blotted parole and I'll believe they are looking for a solution. This time.
Anything less is the same shameless lies.
Segura, has to go.
He is paid to anticipate the usage and the issues. He can only react and does not have the intelligence to be proactive.
Ali Baba and his 1000 thieves (PLD) had a meeting last night in Santiago at the Almirante. The are pretty happy, talking about how their turn to pillage the country is coming soon. What a disgusting choice we face in the next presidential election.
PLD , PRD and PRSC deceiving everyone on the way, every stupid enough to believe on us.
A shameless race of human beings.
I want LF to pay the $700 MM USD without borrowing money.
I say he has NO way of doing it.
Take the money they owe and make more hydro-electric power. Even Nuke power, although I'm not a fan, is initially expensive but is ultimately produce far cheaper and with far less risk to the ecology....
A national investment in "energy farms" would be far easier to finance with foriegn funds. And begin the job of cleaning up the air also.
Stop each local office from accepting CASH from customers. The theft begins right there. A bank takes the cash and returns a voucher that is exchanged for the factura.