Dominican power producer Transcontinental Capital (Seaboard) obtained approval to connect the 150MW Estrella del Mar III project in Santo Domingo to the national grid for testing.
In the resolution authorizing the provisional interconnection, the regulator SIE highlighted a report by the grid coordinator, OC, which gave the green light to the link for the barge-mounted combined cycle plant.
The authorization expires on December 23.
Seaboard applied in September for permission for the project, which features Siemens equipment – on the capital’s Ozama River – that will dispatch electricity through the Timbeque 1 and 2 substations.
The approval comes amid reduced availability of electricity service that the government attributes to problems at the 752MW Punta Catalina coal-fired power plant, among other factors.
Seaboard already operates the 110MW Estrella del Mar II barge-mounted plant (pictured) also on the Ozama river that Estrella del Mar III would replace.
