The Dominican Government, through the Dominican Electric Transmission Company (ETED), put into operation the Operator Training Simulator (OTS), a strategic tool that strengthens the security of the National Interconnected Electric System (SENI), while positioning the training of human capital as a fundamental pillar for a more reliable and efficient operation.
The Minister of Energy and Mines and Chairman of the Board of Directors of ETED, Joel Santos, highlighted that the OTS marks a before and after in the technical training of system operators, by allowing high-level training in a controlled environment that accurately replicates the real conditions of the SENI.
“The OTS is not simply a technological platform. It is a real-time simulation environment that reproduces both normal operation and contingency scenarios, allowing us to prepare our operators without risking the stability of the system,” he stated.
Santos underscored that this tool places the Dominican Republic on the path of the best international practices in electrical operation and safety, by prioritizing the preparation of human resources as a guarantee of timely response to critical events.
“Normally when we talk about the system, we always refer to four important aspects: generation, transmission, distribution, and regulation. They are the four pillars on which we divide the system. I believe that from now on we have to add a fifth element. And although it is contained in the other elements, we have to separate it and put an important emphasis: the human resource,” he stated.
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Santos indicated that the true value of that investment lies in the people and that the Government is betting on better-trained operators, with greater technical judgment and reaction capacity, who can face complex situations, even a ‘blackout’, with precision and speed,” he emphasized.
Santos maintained that this transition of human resources towards the system will not only make the nation’s energy industry move faster, but also, it will make the Dominican economy move faster, specifying that, “moving the Dominican economy faster is what has to be and everything begins in the energy sector”.
A more resilient and prepared system
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The Minister of Energy and Mines explained that the simulator allows recreating failures in the transmission network, unexpected outages of large generation blocks, low frequency events, activation of defense schemes such as EDAC, as well as the operational management of variable renewable energies and storage systems.
He assured that the impact of the OTS transcends technology, because it strengthens the operational security of the SENI and increases the reliability of the electrical service received by citizens.
“This is an investment that translates into greater stability for the system, directly benefiting households, industries, and all productive sectors. Furthermore, it is key to moving towards smarter, more resilient networks prepared to integrate renewable energies and storage systems,” he indicated.
From his side, Alfonso Rodríguez, executive vice president of ETED, highlighted that the simulator contributes to protect the operation of the electrical system, by raising the technical level of the human teams.
“The implementation of the OTS reaffirms our commitment to the modernization of the sector. Beyond technology, it’s about strengthening the capabilities of our people to support the country’s growth,” he expressed.
Whereas, Fernelis Ramírez, Operations Director of the Energy Control Center (CCE), highlighted that the tool significantly increases the response capacity to contingencies.
“With the OTS, our operators will be able to train in real conditions, developing skills to act with precision under pressure, which translates into a safer and more efficient operation of the SENI,” he pointed out.
The activity was attended by the Superintendent of Electricity, Andrés Astacio; the Executive Director of the National Energy Commission, Edward Veras; the General Manager of the Coordinating Body (OC-SENI), Manuel López San Pablo and the Vice Minister of Energy, Ricardo Guerrero.
