Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08SANODOMINGO1611
2008-10-17 20:39:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Santo Domingo
Cable title:
ELECRICITY GENERATORS PREDICT A DARK DECEMBER IN
how-toVZCZCXYZ0000 RR RUEHWEB DE RUEHDG #1611/02 2912039 ZNR UUUUU ZZH R 172039Z OCT 08 FM AMEMBASSY SANTO DOMINGO TO RUEHC/SECSTAE WASHDC 1591 INFO RUEHZA/WHA CENTRAL AMERICAN CLLECTIVE RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS 0938 RUEHPU/MEMBASSY PORT AU PRINCE 4868 RUEHSP/AMEMBASSY POT OF SPAIN 1934
UNCLAS SECTION 02 OF 03 SANO DOMINGO 001611
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
E.O. 1295: N/A
TAGS: ENRG ECON EINV DR
SUBJECT: ELECRICITY GENERATORS PREDICT A DARK DECEMBER IN
THEDR
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* Missing Section 001 *
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SANTODOMIN 10171611 002.3 OF 003
Roberto Herrera told Econoff that CESPM is panning to file a
claim to invoke a sovereign guarantee in its contract with
the distributors. If the government goes into default of
this guarantee, he said that the company,s primary lender,
Citibank, would likely ask BasicRD to cancel the contract,
which could have drastic consequences for the Dominican
Republic,s credit rating.
6. (SBU) Meanwhile, AES, the nation,s largest provider,
cancelled its December gas shipment, which represents 20
percent of the total fuel purchase for 2008 at the
304-MegaWatt AES Andres plant. AES President Marco de la
Rosa told the DCM that AES Andres has already reduced
generation by 20 to 30 percent in light of the adjusted
fueling schedule. Reducing output will require breaking the
company,s contract with the distributors, and De la Rosa
said his company was ready to take that step, citing
defaulted invoices. He also noted that the AES home office
had instructed him to cease all new investments in the
country, which will mean cancelling a natural gas pipeline
that would have enabled BasicRD to convert the CESPM plant to
convert from diesel to natural gas.
-------------- --------------
Government responds with offer of partial payment
-------------- --------------
7. (U) On October 15, CDEEE Executive Vice President Radhames
Segura announced that the government would provide USD 100
million in payments to the generators on October 25, while
the distributors would provide an additional USD 16 million.
However, Marinas told Econoff that Segura had not consulted
his company regarding this latter sum and that EDE Este would
not be able to contribute any funds to the October 25
payment. De la Rosa noted that this sum was a small amount
that would be shared among all of the generators, while the
debt owed to AES (USD 150 million for 2008 invoices and USD
80 million of the frozen debt) is more than double the total.
--------------
Light at the end of the tunnel?
--------------
8. (SBU) Herrera told Econoff that he believes the
consequences of further non-payment would be devastating for
all involved, especially Dominican electricity consumers. He
therefore expects that the government will ultimately find
the cash to pay the generators, as it has in past months. He
noted that the CDEEE paid USD 5 million of CESPM,s USD
26.7-million July invoice and has yet to make a dent in the
USD 30-million August bill. Herrera added that the bright
side to the company,s recent generation cutbacks is that the
September invoice from CESPM is just USD 10 million. He said
he expected to normalize the running debt by November.
9. (SBU) De la Rosa did not share the same level of optimism,
noting that this was the gravest situation he had faced since
taking the reigns at AES Dominicana last year, calling it
&critical8. He said that with the cutbacks in generation,
most homes in the Dominican Republic would be without power
for at least 8 hours every day through the end of the year.
--------------
TCW arbitration case moves forward
--------------
10. (SBU) Marinas told Econoff that he does not believe that
CDEEE has treated EDE Este differently than the fully
state-owned distributors in terms of receiving its share of
the subsidy., TCW, the company that owns 50 percent plus 1 of
EDE Este, and its parent company, Societe Generale, have
filed arbitration claims against the government under both
the France-Dominican Republic Bilateral Investment Treaty and
CAFTA-DR alleging that the GoDR,s treatment of its
investment has greatly diminished the value of EDE ESTE. The
claim seeks USD680 million in damages. Marinas told EconOff
that he believes Segura, the head of CDEEE, who has not hid
his disdain for TCW in recent press interviews, is attempting
to turn public sentiment against TCW while strangling the
company,s finances in the hopes that it will give up on its
investment and leave the country. He added that while the
other distributors could withstand nonpayment from the
government because their debt is public debt, a private
company could not afford to operate without accounting for
its broad loss margin.
11. (SBU) Marinas complained to Econoff of government
harassment coming from many fronts and said that while a few
***********************
* Missing Section 003 *
***********************
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
E.O. 1295: N/A
TAGS: ENRG ECON EINV DR
SUBJECT: ELECRICITY GENERATORS PREDICT A DARK DECEMBER IN
THEDR
***********************
* Missing Section 001 *
***********************
SANTODOMIN 10171611 002.3 OF 003
Roberto Herrera told Econoff that CESPM is panning to file a
claim to invoke a sovereign guarantee in its contract with
the distributors. If the government goes into default of
this guarantee, he said that the company,s primary lender,
Citibank, would likely ask BasicRD to cancel the contract,
which could have drastic consequences for the Dominican
Republic,s credit rating.
6. (SBU) Meanwhile, AES, the nation,s largest provider,
cancelled its December gas shipment, which represents 20
percent of the total fuel purchase for 2008 at the
304-MegaWatt AES Andres plant. AES President Marco de la
Rosa told the DCM that AES Andres has already reduced
generation by 20 to 30 percent in light of the adjusted
fueling schedule. Reducing output will require breaking the
company,s contract with the distributors, and De la Rosa
said his company was ready to take that step, citing
defaulted invoices. He also noted that the AES home office
had instructed him to cease all new investments in the
country, which will mean cancelling a natural gas pipeline
that would have enabled BasicRD to convert the CESPM plant to
convert from diesel to natural gas.
-------------- --------------
Government responds with offer of partial payment
-------------- --------------
7. (U) On October 15, CDEEE Executive Vice President Radhames
Segura announced that the government would provide USD 100
million in payments to the generators on October 25, while
the distributors would provide an additional USD 16 million.
However, Marinas told Econoff that Segura had not consulted
his company regarding this latter sum and that EDE Este would
not be able to contribute any funds to the October 25
payment. De la Rosa noted that this sum was a small amount
that would be shared among all of the generators, while the
debt owed to AES (USD 150 million for 2008 invoices and USD
80 million of the frozen debt) is more than double the total.
--------------
Light at the end of the tunnel?
--------------
8. (SBU) Herrera told Econoff that he believes the
consequences of further non-payment would be devastating for
all involved, especially Dominican electricity consumers. He
therefore expects that the government will ultimately find
the cash to pay the generators, as it has in past months. He
noted that the CDEEE paid USD 5 million of CESPM,s USD
26.7-million July invoice and has yet to make a dent in the
USD 30-million August bill. Herrera added that the bright
side to the company,s recent generation cutbacks is that the
September invoice from CESPM is just USD 10 million. He said
he expected to normalize the running debt by November.
9. (SBU) De la Rosa did not share the same level of optimism,
noting that this was the gravest situation he had faced since
taking the reigns at AES Dominicana last year, calling it
&critical8. He said that with the cutbacks in generation,
most homes in the Dominican Republic would be without power
for at least 8 hours every day through the end of the year.
--------------
TCW arbitration case moves forward
--------------
10. (SBU) Marinas told Econoff that he does not believe that
CDEEE has treated EDE Este differently than the fully
state-owned distributors in terms of receiving its share of
the subsidy., TCW, the company that owns 50 percent plus 1 of
EDE Este, and its parent company, Societe Generale, have
filed arbitration claims against the government under both
the France-Dominican Republic Bilateral Investment Treaty and
CAFTA-DR alleging that the GoDR,s treatment of its
investment has greatly diminished the value of EDE ESTE. The
claim seeks USD680 million in damages. Marinas told EconOff
that he believes Segura, the head of CDEEE, who has not hid
his disdain for TCW in recent press interviews, is attempting
to turn public sentiment against TCW while strangling the
company,s finances in the hopes that it will give up on its
investment and leave the country. He added that while the
other distributors could withstand nonpayment from the
government because their debt is public debt, a private
company could not afford to operate without accounting for
its broad loss margin.
11. (SBU) Marinas complained to Econoff of government
harassment coming from many fronts and said that while a few
***********************
* Missing Section 003 *
***********************