Power plant scandal roils talks for electricity pact

Santo Domingo.- Amidprotests, questions on lack of Government transparency, with little optimismand even a proposal to suspend the process, the meetings leading to a National ElectricityPact resumed Tuesday.

Business and socialsector representatives agree that the trickling of information requested fromthe government hobbles the progress in the process.

Adding to that is thebrewing scandal over the Government’s alleged signing of a “secret a contract”to build another coal-fired plant in southern province Peravia.

"I think that´dnot good for the transparency of this process. If here is articulating a newscheme in the electricity sector should not the government be doing things behindthe back of this pact, because then what purpose would this call have," saidAssociation of Herrera and Santo Domingo Province Industries (AEIH) president AntonioTaveras.

He said transparency iscrucial for the process to advance and the fact that government officials didn’tmention that contract in the talks lends itself to questioning and even strips theoptimism needed to hammer out the pact.

In that regard, DominicanIndustries Association (AIRD) executive vice president Circe Almánzar said businessexpects a quicker flow of information requested from the State and anexplanation of the reportedly terminated contract to build the power plant atthe center of the scandal.

Both Taveras andAlmánzar agreed with Dominican Electricity Industry Association (ADIE) executivevice president Milton Morrison, who said all sectors involved in the talks forthe pact demand greater transparency.