NewsWhore
12-04-2008, 04:10 PM
The Ministry of Industry and Commerce (SEIC) is spending RD$286,956,686 on a pilot plan for electricity to be pre-paid by consumers, in the framework of the Blackouts Reduction Plan (PRA).
The project is funded by the European Union through the National Office for European Development Funds (ONFED), and will be implemented by the SEIC's Non-Conventional Energy Department and coordinated with energy distributors Ede-Norte, Ede-Sur and Ede-Este.
The initiative, according to El Nuevo Diario, began in the barrios of Pueblo Nuevo and El Caliche in Cristo Rey, that come under Ede-Sur; in San Bartolo (Las Americas Highway), that is served by Ede-Este, and in Hato Mayor in Santiago, that comes under Ede-Norte.
In these areas, employees are doing promotion work, setting up posts, stringing electricity lines and other installations related to the project. The clients will use a card system similar to that used for cellphone service.
Salvador Rivas, the engineer in charge of the Non-Conventional Energy Department at SEIC, explained that the project is aimed at eliminating what are called "Technical and non-technical losses" in the distribution system, estimated to be as high as 40% and that in 2005 represented US$500 million in lost energy.
Another objective is to end energy theft by using individual hookups to the system of individual connections from distribution centers that connect 25 users in one place. The design of the program took into account the statistical maps of the poorest barrios of Santo Domingo and Santiago by the Department of Non-Conventional Energy. It was discovered that 60% of these homes had residential phone lines and 30% possessed cell phones. This showed them that "most residents could pay for the electricity service they receive if there is a way to invoice it adjusted to their financial conditions."
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#1)
The project is funded by the European Union through the National Office for European Development Funds (ONFED), and will be implemented by the SEIC's Non-Conventional Energy Department and coordinated with energy distributors Ede-Norte, Ede-Sur and Ede-Este.
The initiative, according to El Nuevo Diario, began in the barrios of Pueblo Nuevo and El Caliche in Cristo Rey, that come under Ede-Sur; in San Bartolo (Las Americas Highway), that is served by Ede-Este, and in Hato Mayor in Santiago, that comes under Ede-Norte.
In these areas, employees are doing promotion work, setting up posts, stringing electricity lines and other installations related to the project. The clients will use a card system similar to that used for cellphone service.
Salvador Rivas, the engineer in charge of the Non-Conventional Energy Department at SEIC, explained that the project is aimed at eliminating what are called "Technical and non-technical losses" in the distribution system, estimated to be as high as 40% and that in 2005 represented US$500 million in lost energy.
Another objective is to end energy theft by using individual hookups to the system of individual connections from distribution centers that connect 25 users in one place. The design of the program took into account the statistical maps of the poorest barrios of Santo Domingo and Santiago by the Department of Non-Conventional Energy. It was discovered that 60% of these homes had residential phone lines and 30% possessed cell phones. This showed them that "most residents could pay for the electricity service they receive if there is a way to invoice it adjusted to their financial conditions."
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#1)