Dominican Republic commits at COP28 to reduce coal use

Dubai.- At the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference, commonly known as Cop28, the Dominican Republic pledged to gradually reduce its reliance on coal for electricity generation. This commitment was highlighted in a Reuters report summarizing the agreements made by countries participating in the conference.

A significant part of the discussion focused on coal usage. France announced its intention to lead a group of countries urging the OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) to assess climate and financial risks associated with new coal investments. The goal is to discourage funding for such projects. In line with this initiative, coal-using countries like Kosovo and the Dominican Republic agreed to formulate strategies for phasing out their coal-powered plants.

In the Dominican Republic, the Punta Catalina Thermoelectric Plant, which started operations on July 29, 2020, is a major coal-based power facility, contributing 730 MW of electricity. This output represents about 30% of the nation’s total power generation. As of March 2023, Punta Catalina had received over 5.7 million metric tons of mineral coal for energy production.

The Reuters report, however, did not provide specific details on how the Dominican Republic plans to alter its coal use in electricity production or whether it intends to develop new plants to replace the coal-powered Punta Catalina facility.