Dominican Republic - Energy and power

With no coal and little petroleum, the country has depended upon imported diesel oil for its electrical energy, although a substantial development of hydroelectric potential took place during the 1970s and early 1980s. Total installed electrical capacity was 3.2 million kW in 2001; in 2000, 9 billion kWh were produced, of which 87.2% were from fossil fuels, 12.5% were from hydropower, and the remainder were from other sources. Th state-owned Dominican Electric Corp. (Corporación Dominicana de Electricidad), purchased for $15 million from US interests in 1972, is responsible for all public production, sale, and distribution of energy. As of 1994, it supplied electricity only ten hours per day; in 1999 there were still chronic blackouts and power cuts for both commercial and residential customers. The same year, the company was partially privatized by the government in an attempt to remedy the power shortage, but as of 2002 reliability of the power supply remained a problem. In April 2003 Canada and the Dominican government signed two $35 million agreements to build hydroelectric and renewable energy plants.

The Tavera Dam, with a capacity of 60,000 kW, was completed in 1972. The Sabana Yegua hydroelectric and irrigation complex, begun in 1974, opened in 1980. The Habo I coal-fired plant at Haina was inaugurated in 1984.

Under the terms of the San Jose Pact, the Dominican Republic buys oil at discount prices from Venezuela and Mexico. It imports liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Trinidad and Tobago. An LNG terminal that is part of a $400 million project built by AES Andres became operational at the beginning of 2003, but the associated 300 MW power plant was not expected to be completed until the summer of 2003.