Santo Domingo. The Minister of Energy and Mines, Joel Santos, considered the impact that energy security has on the achievement of the objectives of the Meta 2036 plan, with which it is projected to double the gross domestic product (GDP) of the country in the next eleven years.
He indicated that among the initiatives that the Government is developing jointly with the private sector, there are gas projects for more than 2,179 megawatts in different parts of the country, with which the installed capacity of thermal energy in the national electricity system will increase by 54%.
He cited the semiconductor, datacenter, and mining industries as examples, segments with significant added value that require a high demand for energy.
“Looking ahead, energy will be an even more precious commodity for developing countries. Without reliable and abundant energy, there will be no growth,” he said.
By participating in the panel “The energy future of the Dominican Republic: advances and challenges towards sustainability”, Santos said that the energy sector is working to increase generation, make the necessary investments in transmission, and have adequate and modern regulation.
“The main factor for the Dominican economy to double its growth by 2036 is energy security, which, due to its cross-cutting nature, should give it the capacity to integrate, increasingly, segments or economic sectors of higher added value, which will generate growth,” said the official.
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He reported that currently there are 21 renewable energy projects in execution for 1,006 megawatts, another 22 in the process of starting construction for 1,500 megawatts and 51 in the permit approval phase, with which the energy supply from renewable sources will double by the year 2028, exceeding 2,500 megawatts.
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He explained that in terms of transmission, an investment of 450 million dollars is planned in the coming years and 200 million dollars will be allocated each year for distribution, to improve the networks, install transformers and improve the system’s billing.
He maintained that, together with the investments and improvements that are being made as part of energy efficiency and sustainability, work is being done to reduce the dependence on coal in the system to bring it from 24% currently required to 17% in 2030.
Joel Santos shared the opening panel of “Foros Business 2025”, with the Superintendent of Electricity, Andrés Astacio; the director of the National Energy Commission, Edward Veras; the general administrator of the Dominican Electric Transmission Company, Martin Robles and the general administrator of the Dominican Hydroelectric Generation Company, Rafael Salazar.
The activity, which will hold forums for several months related to governmental management of energy, water, and environmental sustainability, was attended by various public officials and members of the private sector.
