Dominican Republic electricity sector launches renewable contracts amid criticism of blackout claims

President of the Unified Council of Electricity Distributors (CUED), Celso Marranzini, told reporters that the country does not experience blackouts, only "system overloads." His comments provoked sharp rebuke from presidential candidate Abel Martínez, who accused the government of renaming problems instead of solving them, and from commentator Michael Matos, who called the stance "charlatanerie" and warned that thousands of Dominicans continue to suffer darkness, food loss and high electric bills.

CUED subsequently awarded contracts for 325.69 MW of new renewable generation backed by 50 % battery storage, securing competitive prices of about $0.1060‑$0.1090 per kWh. The deals involve projects such as Parque Taíno, Parque Solar Batoncillo, Mella Solar Power and others, with capacity slated to enter service from June 2028. The contracts aim to diversify the energy mix, reduce dependence on imported fuels and support a cleaner grid.

Meanwhile, the Eastern Electricity Distributor (EDEESTE) reported progress on modernization works in La Altagracia province, investing over RD$1,060 million. Completed actions include installing voltage regulators, segmenting circuits in Higüey, laying five kilometres of public lighting, and constructing a new discharge circuit (HI3804) now 84 % complete. Additional projects convert networks to three‑phase systems and build medium‑voltage lines for the Kaynoa Airpark and Hacienda La Cortina developments. These upgrades are intended to improve service reliability for thousands of customers, reduce overloads and lower energy losses.