Bonao, Dominican Republic.- President Leonel Fernandez yesterday threw the switch to operate the hydroelectric complex Pinalito, whose output is 50 megawatt, or 157 million kilowatt hours of electricity yearly.

The project’s main dam can store 4.3 million cubic meters of water, located near the mountain town Costanzia, a secondary lake at Sonador, a main tunnel of 3.6 meters in diameter and the control station with two turbine generators of 25 megawatts each, located in Blanco, at around 656 meters above sea level.

According to Rafael Suero, director of the country’s hydroelectric entities EGEHID, the new facility will save the country 315,000 barrels of oil per year, or US$20 million. It will sell US$24 million in energy yearly, to pay the loan of around US$200 million from a Brazilian State-owned bank.

Pinalito is located between Monseñor Noel and La Vega provinces, and was built by the Brazilian company Norberto Odebrecht.

During the inaugural, the executive vice president of the State-owned electrical companies (CDEEE), Radhamés Segura reiterated the Government’s plans to provide the country with an efficient and reasonably priced energy service by 2012.