Public Consultations on Domlec’s Licence Negotiations

Public Consultations on Domlec’s Licence Negotiations

The Independent Regulatory Commission (IRC) invites interested stakeholders to participate in its public consultations on Domlec’s negotiations at the following venues and times:

  • Monday 28th January 2013, 9am-4pm – (Roseau) Fort Young Hotel
  • Tuesday 29th January 2013, 5pm-9pm – (Portsmouth) Central Cooperative Credit Union Hall
  • Tuesday 19 th February 2013, 5pm-9pm – (Marigot) Wills Strathmore Stevens School
  • Tuesday 26 th February 2013, 5pm-9pm – (Grand Bay) Old Fort

These consultations seek to identify issues that may need to be considered prior to completing the licence negotiation process with DOMLEC.

Come and discuss your concerns at it relates to the issuance of DOMLEC’s new licences.

We look forward to your participation.

5 Comments

  1. EHB
    February 10, 2013 at 1:18 pm

    One of the main changes that has occurred in the energy supply arena is the advent of comparatively low cost ‘micro-power’ generation. Examples of this are wind turbines, water turbines and photo-voltaic solar panels; Dominica has no shortage wind, water or sun. These sources are supported by cheap electronic ‘inverters’ that allow these ‘micro-power’ sources to be reliably and safely connected to the Grid to allow the sale of any surplus power produced.

    The cost of implementation of a project is so low that people who were previously necessarily merely consumers of electricity can now be suppliers to the Grid as well.

    Now, I understand that the current set-up for Domlec is that it is responsible for both the Generation AND the Distribution of electricity. This combination of responsibilities has led to a bias against the support for ‘micro-power’ projects (in order to support the profitability of Domlec – i.e. high prices) and is therefore against the interests of the generality of Dominicans who would like to take advantage of their new ability to generate their own power (and sell any surplus they may produce to the Grid).

    THEREFORE, I submit that the new licencing arrangement in replacement for that currently applicable to Domlec should separate the functions of electricity Generation from electricity Distribution, with the objective that the Distribution function shall be required to actively support those who wish to implement ‘micro-power’ projects.

    This structure would also better support the likely changes in major power Generation that Dominica is edging towards – by this I mean that the Distribution function would be able to buy power preferentially from the cheapest major source – e.g. in-place hydro-power, coming up geo-thermal power, and (only in desperation) diesel power.

    It seems to me that Dominica is likely in the near future (with the advent of the geo-thermal project) to have a surplus of base-load power at night; however, Dominica is also ideally suited to the implementation of pumped hydro-electric storage systems whereby the surplus night-time availability of base-load power can be stored as water in high altitude reservoirs to be released through generators during the day (or during short-term peak loads)- I look forward to hearing that this adjunct to the geo-thermal project is being implemented. Once again, this idea does not HAVE to be on a grand-scale single project – it has the potential to be implemented on a multiple, distributed, smaller-scale level. It has the particular attribute that it would allow the complete disposal of the use of diesel generators to cover peak loads.

    Also bear in mind that the more (multiple) Suppliers of electricity there are, the more robust will be the supply of electricity against failures in the distribution Grid (such as may happen when the next hurricane comes along).

    It may well be that you will find that the current Domlec will resist this idea (of the separation of the Generation and Distribution functions) very strongly – if so, you can be sure of the validity of my case!

    It may be that you will find it impossible to impose this idea onto Domlec because they have too strong an influence on your committee – if this is the case then a second-best approach would be to overtly require, within the new licence, that Domlec actively supports micro-power generation – that in fact it shall place NO constraints (except technical compatibility) against people implementing their own Generation capabilities.

  2. EHB
    February 11, 2013 at 9:14 am

    EHB notes that, although your website states that his email address will not be published, his email address is in fact published by default because it remains as an image in this ‘Leave a Reply’ pane!

    Please arrange for this fault to be rectified.

    1. admin
      February 11, 2013 at 10:49 am

      Dear EHB,

      The email is not published and will not be. What has happened is browser cookies are enabled, the comment system remembers you and therefore per-populates your email address. But only your specific PC(s) that you have made comments from will show this…

      There are no comments published with anyone’s email. Terribly Sorry for the misunderstanding.

      Regards

      IRC Web Master

      1. EHB
        February 17, 2013 at 11:29 am

        OK Webmaster – thanks for that – my mistake.

    2. Frustrated
      February 11, 2013 at 4:14 pm

      Dear EHB,
      Your inputs are like soft musci to my ears. I have been trying for the past 5 years to get the authorities to understand that the advent of small scale renewable electricity generation initiatives, connected to the grid, are not only possible but would serve to enhance the economic well being of several communities, while providing new opportunities for investments and job creation.
      Excuses from both the IRC and the Utility include high production costs; possible grid instability; lack of technical know-how by local investors and engineers; etc; all of which are considered to be copy-cat comments from other regions.
      What is not considered by those decidsion makers is the fact that Dominica has an abundance of resources and indigenous skills which could provide energy for local cost at a fraction of the current costs if the sector is indeed liberalized and incentives provided to those who are willing and able to develop a fully localized electricity generation industry.
      Please continue to looy for this change in attitude.

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