Beleaguered energy chief says he saved taxpayers US$3.9B in 3 years

Santo Domingo.- The beleaguered CEO of the State-owned power utility (CDEEE) on Monday affirmed having saved taxpayers RD$101.9 billion (US$3.9 billion) during the past three years, which in his view shows efficiency during his tenure.

Celso Marranzini told members of a joint commission that the subsidy requested for the electricity sector will directly benefit consumers and that as never before, hydropower has boosted energy service and the economy, over power generation. "Far from being a destabilizing factor for the economy, for the first time the electricity sector has been part of the economic equilibrium."

Marranzini, who met with the Congressional commission which studies the supplementary budget and a US$500.0 million subsidy, added that it’s the first time that the CDEEE has been depoliticized.