Top official says coal-fired plant will lower cost, but isn’t the ‘model’

Santo Domingo.- Energy and Mines minister Antonio Isa Mondaysaid the Punta Catalina coal-fired plants will lead to lower electricity costsand displace obsolete, more polluting facilities from the market.

He said however that coal generation isn’t the ideal model,for which renewable energies must be developed.

He said the 720MW -coal-fired plant the government buildsin southern Peravia province is more advanced and uses technology less harmful tothe environment than some of the system’s current facilities.

"It will replace others that spew more (greenhousegases), obsoletes, apart from improving the cost of the energy matrix, making itmore feasible. But that is not the model we’re going to copy, we will now wageron cleaner renewable energy," the official said.

Clean energy funding

The official said there’s a need to create fundingmechanisms to spur the development of various renewable sources of electricity."A funding mechanisms must be created to encourage investment in such todevelopment."

He said another vital issue which in his view must besolved is the "permitology" problem, which he affirms puts hurdles toapprove new projects of wind or solar panel generation.