The Independent Regulatory Commission created history on October 7, 2013 when two new licences were presented to DOMLEC. It has been decades since DOMLEC was first issued licences to operate in Dominica.
DOMLEC was issued a Generation Licence. This license gives DOMLEC the non exclusive right and privilege within Dominica to generate electricity. The second license is a Transmission, Distribution and Supply License which gives DOMLEC the exclusive right and privilege to transmit distribute and supply electricity in Dominica. Both licences are for 25 years and will begin on January 1st 2014.
Generation Licence
In deciding on this period, the Commission had due regard to the provisions of Section 31 (1) (c) which requires that the “duration” of the Licence shall be related to the useful life of the generation facilities. The Commission noted that this issue was discussed extensively at the public consultations and the consensus of participants was that that, all things taken into consideration, a 25 year licence for generation is not unreasonable, this being linked to the remaining life of the existing hydro plant. Having considered DOMLEC’s records, taking into account the conclusions of an assessment by an independent evaluator and the consensus at the public hearings, the Commission concluded that a term of 25 years would not only satisfy the statutory requirements but also the technical, accounting and rate making imperatives.
Recent Posts
