Lights out in Santo Domingo

[NewsWhore]

Rolling blackouts have returned to Santo Domingo. According to reports in Listin Diario, the increased blackouts are due to a deficit of between 200 and 300 megawatts in generation capacity. However, Francisco Mendez, the superintendent of electricity, has denied that there is any deficit in generation. According to the newspaper, areas where blackouts normally lasted between three to six hours are now suffering power cuts lasting as long as eight hours. Officials from Ede-Este told reporters that the "B" and "C" circuits were receiving less energy than needed, and this in turn affected the blackout ratios. Areas with 24-hour power have not been affected. Because of the increased number of blackouts, local businesses have been forced to turn to their small generators and as a result, their costs have increased by as much as RD$2,000 a day. Beauty salons and ice cream parlors are particularly hard hit, and most have had to increase their prices.

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