Team Size: Nine 

First, can you give us an idea of the type of work your team has done recently? 

The permits and litigation team is in charge of managing and obtaining all the necessary permits for the execution of the company’s projects and operations. The team is responsible for obtaining regulatory permits, thermal and renewable concessions, environmental licences and permits, licences for the import and exemption of hydrocarbons, municipal permits, among others.  

EGE Haina is the country’s leading company in renewable generation, currently operating four wind farms and two photovoltaic farms. My team has been a key player in the development of these projects. Furthermore, in accordance with EGE Haina’s strategic plan, the goal established for 2030 is to inject 1,000MW into the National Interconnected Electricity System (SENI), for which it is essential to design and manage a plan to obtain the necessary permits for each of the identified projects. The team has been managing the licences and permits for these projects for more than four years with a vision for the future. In addition to the permitting process, the team also leads and conducts negotiations with the owners of the land on which the company’s projects are located, obtaining the rights of way for the transmission lines necessary for the interconnection of the projects. 

Among the recent activities carried out by the department is the management of the permits necessary to achieve the interconnection of the SIBA thermal power plant, an emergency power plant built by a consortium comprising EGE Haina, Monte Rio Power Corporation and Soluciones Gas Natural. This power plant boasts excellent uptime and rapid load integration capabilities, enabling it to join the system within minutes. The team has also recently secured full rights of way for the transmission line connecting the Esperanza Solar Park to the SENI, as well as successfully obtained all the required permits for the park’s interconnection to the SENI.

How do you keep current with changes in Dominican laws and regulations that are relevant to your organisation’s industry? 

Being in a regulated sector, we belong to associations where proposed laws and regulations are discussed. We are also invited to participate in public hearings on changes to legislation affecting the sector thus allowing us to remain up to date with any changes in the Dominican landscape.

What is a cause, business related or otherwise, that you care about and why? 

I am concerned that the legal framework of the electricity sector, which has allowed investment into generation projects for more than ten years, is being modified with regulations and laws that hinder investment into generation projects, especially renewable ones.