Dominican Republic government addresses electricity billing concerns

President Luis Abinader and Energy and Mines Minister Joel Santos have addressed public dissatisfaction regarding rising electricity bills in the Dominican Republic. Abinader admitted the government has faced “grave communication problems” in explaining how the billing system works, noting that citizens often feel misled by unexpected increases.

Minister Santos clarified that electricity tariffs have not increased since 2022. He explained that higher bills are typically the result of consumers moving into higher consumption brackets, where the price per kilowatt-hour increases significantly. For example, consumption exceeding 701 kWh is billed at a higher rate than lower tiers. Santos also noted that recent high temperatures have driven up consumption, leading to these higher costs.

The government continues to maintain frozen tariffs and provide subsidies to mitigate international price volatility. Officials project spending approximately RD$100,000 million on electricity subsidies in 2026. Meanwhile, opposition figures have criticized the sector for high energy losses, which some reports suggest reach between 44% and 60% in certain distribution areas, calling for better infrastructure planning and more efficient generation methods.