NewsWhore
04-23-2009, 06:30 PM
Former CONEP president Celso Marranzini says that a complete top-to-bottom revision of the Dominican Corporation of State-owned Electricity Enterprises (CDEEE) is needed in response to the revelations of corruption in the Blackout Reduction Program (PRA). Marranzini called for investigations into what may be occurring in the other government divisions under the CDEEE, referring specifically to nepotism, bloated payrolls, the diversion of investments and the allocation of very high salaries, as revealed by journalist Nuria Piera in her investigative TV program.
According to Marranzini, "disorder and confusion" appears to reign within the electricity sector. While criticizing the CDEEE, Marranzini said that the PRA was an aberration since it was devised so that residents of poor neighborhoods would pay a reduced rate in return for a fixed amount of electricity, but now a lot of businesses have relocated their factories to these areas in order to lower their production costs by paying just RD$250 a month for electricity. He complained of the distortion caused by the fact that even beers that are sold in more affluent areas are cooled off in PRA barrios.
During his interview on the "Uno+Uno" television program, Marranzini said that the investigation by Nuria Piera could be used to get overview of the situation in the electricity sector. He said that the CDEEE has over 4,000 people on the payroll when it could do its job with 300 or 400 employees. Marranzini also complained about management structure problems, pointing out that the head of the CDEEE is above the Superintendent of Electricity when it should be the other way round. He also revealed that there is a political issue in the electricity sector, where certain "well-connected" people are not billed for the electricity they consume. Finally, he reminded the audience that the General Electricity Law is not being observed and that the technical rate is not being applied.
The director of the PRA was promptly suspended after Piera exposed the irregularities in the department. For months, local press reports have been revealing the prevalence of politics behind the bloated payrolls in the governmental electricity sector, and the lack of investment and efficiency to ensure a reliable and reasonably priced service.
Meanwhile, Listin Diario reports there is a deficit of 681MW in the system, which is apparent in the long blackouts that are back. Demand is said to be 2,100 MW, while production is at 1,319 MW.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#6)
According to Marranzini, "disorder and confusion" appears to reign within the electricity sector. While criticizing the CDEEE, Marranzini said that the PRA was an aberration since it was devised so that residents of poor neighborhoods would pay a reduced rate in return for a fixed amount of electricity, but now a lot of businesses have relocated their factories to these areas in order to lower their production costs by paying just RD$250 a month for electricity. He complained of the distortion caused by the fact that even beers that are sold in more affluent areas are cooled off in PRA barrios.
During his interview on the "Uno+Uno" television program, Marranzini said that the investigation by Nuria Piera could be used to get overview of the situation in the electricity sector. He said that the CDEEE has over 4,000 people on the payroll when it could do its job with 300 or 400 employees. Marranzini also complained about management structure problems, pointing out that the head of the CDEEE is above the Superintendent of Electricity when it should be the other way round. He also revealed that there is a political issue in the electricity sector, where certain "well-connected" people are not billed for the electricity they consume. Finally, he reminded the audience that the General Electricity Law is not being observed and that the technical rate is not being applied.
The director of the PRA was promptly suspended after Piera exposed the irregularities in the department. For months, local press reports have been revealing the prevalence of politics behind the bloated payrolls in the governmental electricity sector, and the lack of investment and efficiency to ensure a reliable and reasonably priced service.
Meanwhile, Listin Diario reports there is a deficit of 681MW in the system, which is apparent in the long blackouts that are back. Demand is said to be 2,100 MW, while production is at 1,319 MW.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#6)