Punta Catalina Unit 1 shuts down after sargassum blockage from Hurricane Erin

The Punta Catalina power company reported that Unit 1 of its thermoelectric plant was forced out of service early Monday, August 18, after sargassum blocked the water intake system, limiting circulation. The obstruction was linked to rough seas caused by Hurricane Erin. Authorities assured that the shutdown does not currently affect the national power supply.

The incident comes just days after Unit 2 suffered a boiler failure, which temporarily removed it from the National Interconnected Electric System (SENI) and caused widespread blackouts, sparking public frustration. President Luis Abinader visited the plant on Saturday, offering apologies for the disruptions.

Although the plant later announced that Unit 2 was back online, many citizens reported continued outages over the weekend, highlighting ongoing concerns about energy reliability.