Dominican Republic is LatAm’s blackouts champ: IDB

Santo Domingo.- The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) conducted a study which found that Dominican Republic is the nation with the most blackouts per month, compared to others in Latin America. It says estimated that the country would have to spend as much as US$1.6 billion annually to meet the growing electricity demand until 2040.

During a meeting at the State-owned Electric Utility (CDEEE), IDB adviser Ramón Espinasa, who presented the report, said Dominican authorities are well aware of the problem of the blackouts and are working to solve it.

Among other findings, the study shows that energy in Dominican Republic costs more than in 15 of the 25 countries analyzed, surpassed only by Belize, Uruguay, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Bahamas, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica and Barbados.

In contrast, the IDB study says Venezuela, Suriname, Argentina, Trinidad and Tobago, Paraguay, Ecuador, Bolivia, Peru, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Panama, Costa Rica and Honduras have the lowest prices.

The report also shows how the Central American countries generate electricity and notes that the Dominican Republic’s is mostly oil-based, with 52%, followed by natural gas 21%; coal 13%; hydro 9%; solar 5% and wind and biomass 0.2%.

It adds that Costa Rica leads in hydro at 66%, followed by geothermal 15%; oil by-products 10%; solar-wind 7% and biomass 2%.