The newly appointed Minister of Energy and Mines, Joel Santos Echavarría, took office this Tuesday, highlighting his commitment to carry out a management focused on the implementation of the regulatory changes necessary to promote the sustainable development of the country’s electricity and mining sectors.
During the handover ceremony, presided over by the outgoing minister, Antonio Almonte, Santos Echavarría pointed out that the strengthening of the national economy must go hand in hand with a more robust regulation of the energy sector, in order to keep pace with modern times, due to the fact that energy constitutes an essential cross-cutting axis for the country’s economic growth.
“We have a generation sector that must continue to evolve and transform its energy matrix towards cleaner and more efficient sources, paying special attention to generation costs. Likewise, we have a transmission sector, which acts as the artery of the system through which energy is distributed, and this needs to be updated,” he said.
During the transition of leadership, held at the headquarters of the Ministry of Energy and Mines (MEM), Antonio Almonte highlighted that the current head of the entity has actively participated in the Electric Cabinet, chaired by Vice President Raquel Peña, where all the strategic issues essential for the progress of the energy sector are discussed, which has provided the new incumbent with a detailed knowledge of the dynamics and strategies of the Government in energy matters.
“Santos Echavarría is a very knowledgeable person, he knows first hand the issues related to the electricity sector, and that represents a great advantage to address the challenges related to the necessary transformation of the sector to achieve greater security and efficiency,” expressed Almonte.
Among the challenges mentioned by Santos Echavarría during the event was to improve the performance of electricity distributors, given that this sub-sector has direct contact with the user.
He stated that distributors have a commitment with customers and the population. In addition, he pointed out that regulatory modifications will be made to the electricity system to modernize it, seeking to make it more efficient and robust.
“The distributors are the ones that provide the service to the population, so it is essential to establish the bases and strengthen the distribution sub-sector which, in addition, is linked to the country’s fiscal deficit and its improvement would have a direct impact on public finances,” he said.
With respect to mining, Santos Echavarría recalled that this sector was the one with the greatest local economic support during the period of the pandemic. However, he emphasized that such activities must continue to be carried out in a responsible manner, respecting the communities and the environment, in order to ensure their long-term sustainability.
Also present at the handover ceremony were the deputy ministers, Rafael Gómez, Alfonso Rodríguez, Miguel Díaz, Walkiria Caamaño and Fausto Pérez, as well as pilot colonel Randolfo Rijo Gómez, executive director of the National Security System 911, among other MEM officials and collaborators.
Source:presidencia.gob.do
