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View Full Version : [DR1] Beginning of the end for subsidies



NewsWhore
06-14-2006, 02:10 PM
Radhames Segura, the executive vice-president of the Corporation of State-owned Electricity Companies (CDEEE), announced last night that the government is planning to remove the subsidies that it gives to the generators and distributors of electricity. According to Segura, the government will remove the subsidies gradually between July and December of 2007. These amount to US$500-US$600 million. Hoy newspapers says that Segura was not very precise as to just when the gradual reduction of the subsidies will begin. Hoy also said that its reporters had seen a government plan to reduce the propane subsidy by a little over RD$6.00 per gallon. Government officials have been talking about subsidy reduction for the past few days in an orchestrated plan to prepare the people for this reality. In the El Caribe, Segura is quoted as saying that the government "considers the contracts signed in Madrid must be modified."


The government proposes an integral plan to resolve the electricity deficit and lower the kilowatt hour to consumers. Segura made the annoncement during the First International Encounter on the Electricity Sector held at the Fundacion Global Democracia y Desarrollo, President Leonel Fernandez's think tank organization. The government has identified the solution of the power crisis as one of its leading priorities and is holding meetings prior to deciding what direction to take. Participating in the 13-14 June event is the Cambridge Energy Research Associates (CERA), Centro de Energias Renovables del Espana (Cener), Adam Smith International of England and Chilectra of Chile.

Link To Original Article (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#3)