The Dominican Republic’s Minister of Energy and Mines, Joel Santos, held a working meeting with the Senate’s Permanent Commission on Energy Affairs, chaired by Senator Santiago José Zorrilla, to analyse the reintroduction of the Electricity Sector Harmonisation Bill, a proposal recently submitted by Senator Alexis Victoria Yeb.
During the meeting, which was also attended by the Superintendent of Electricity, Andrés Astacio, Santos welcomed the Senate’s decision to resume the review of this legislative initiative. The bill aims to amend General Electricity Law 125-01 to align it with the technological and productive realities of today’s energy sector.
“We have requested authorisation to conduct a deeper review, with the goal of strengthening the draft and adapting it to the transformations the sector has undergone over the past two decades,” the minister said.
Santos explained that the current legal framework was designed for an electric system that no longer matches the country’s energy landscape. He recalled that in 2000, fuel oil accounted for 88% of electricity generation, whereas today the matrix is highly diversified: fuel oil represents only 9.5%, natural gas has become the main source, and renewable energy now provides 25%, with projections to reach 30% by 2030.
The minister highlighted the rapid growth of solar PV, both in utility-scale projects and in distributed generation installed on the rooftops of businesses and households. He also emphasised the role of wind power and biomass, as well as the need to prepare the regulatory framework for future sources such as green hydrogen and nuclear energy.
A new regulatory framework for a modernised sector
Santos stressed that technological advancements and the diversification of the energy matrix require a review of the organisational structure of the electricity sector, as well as the optimisation of permit and concession processes to accelerate the development of new projects.
“All these changes require revisiting the regulatory framework from top to bottom. We need a law that enables the coexistence of all energy sources and enhances sector competitiveness by streamlining permitting and strengthening investment attraction,” he said.
The minister recalled that the energy sector has become one of the country’s leading destinations for foreign direct investment (FDI), attracting more than USD 1 billion annually over the past three years— a trend that must continue to support national growth.
Santos argued that the transformation of the sector is essential for achieving national development goals, particularly within the strategic framework of Meta 2036, which envisions doubling the size of the Dominican economy.
“We will only be able to attract higher value-added industries and move toward a high-income economy if we strengthen our energy system. Energy is the most transversal sector in the Dominican economy,” he stated.
The minister thanked the Senate’s Energy Affairs Commission for its openness and willingness to discuss the bill in a technical, collaborative and future-oriented manner.
“I thank Senator Victoria Yeb and this commission for opening their doors to us. This is a major opportunity to strengthen a sector that is essential for the development of the Dominican Republic,” he concluded.
