# Dominican Republic utility and economic challenges > Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/dominican-republic-utility-and-economic-challenges > Updated: 2026-08-26T19:30:49.000Z. Sources: 9. Developments: 2. In early August, industrial leaders in the Dominican Republic raised concerns regarding frequent electricity interruptions, noting that rising production costs are forcing private-sector firms to utilize alternative power sources to avoid increasing consumer prices. During this period, there was also expressed confidence that the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and MSMEs would successfully negotiate US tariff measures. By late August, the focus on utility costs intensified as legislators denounced what they described as “unjustified and disproportionate increases” in electricity billing, with some reports indicating monthly household bills rising from 5,000 to 30,000 pesos. Concurrently, the government moved to address high telecommunications costs, which were noted to be 22% higher than the Latin American average. To increase market competition and break existing oligopolies, the Dominican Institute of Telecommunications approved the entry of the Vietnamese firm Viettel Group into the local market. ## Timeline ### 2026-08-26: Honduras Congress nears final debate on energy sector reforms Honduras' Congress nears a final debate on energy reforms aimed at restructuring the ENEE to reduce massive annual losses and improve service stability despite ongoing debates over tax incentives. 9 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/dominican-republic-officials-address-rising-utility-and-telecom-costs ### 2026-08-04: Ángelo Viro warns of electricity outages and US tariff talks affecting Dominican and Brazilian industry Ángelo Viro says power outages are raising production costs in the private sector and that the Dominican Republic will negotiate US tariff measures, stressing the country's industrial potential. 3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/ngelo-viro-warns-of-electricity-outages-and-us-tariff-talks-affecting-dominican-and-brazilian-indust --- Cite as: Dominican Republic utility and economic challenges. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/dominican-republic-utility-and-economic-challenges