Please describe specific mandates your team has recently been tasked with completing? 

Our legal team recently had the opportunity to collaborate with outside counsel on an especially important project related to the country’s energy grid. The assignment consisted of the liquidation of the Corporación Dominicana de Empresas Eléctricas Estatales (CDEEE), transferring its main asset, the Central Termoeléctrica Punta Catalina, to a new corporate entity more suitable to manage its operations. The optimisation of this was vital for the country’s energy production since Punta Catalina represents 30% of the country’s electricity consumption. After evaluating various scenarios over 18 months, we managed to incorporate the Empresa de Generación Eléctrica Punta Catalina, a private state entity to which the thermoelectric plant would be integrated. 

As legal director of the thermoelectric plant, I was able to participate in several different phases of the project. Initially, I collaborated in the legal analysis of the plant while it was under the management of CDEEE, identifying bureaucratic obstacles as well as opportunities for improvement. I reviewed reports, evaluated current procedures, and met with all personnel involved.  

Subsequently, I joined a team of legal experts and specialists who were assigned the task of designing a strategic plan for the creation of the new company. It consisted of defining the organisational structure of the company, developing standard procedures, and carefully putting in place everything necessary to ensure the continuity and sustainability of the plant during the transition to the new corporate entity. During the implementation of the project, our legal team was able to provide support to all departments involved. This helped ensure that all standardised practices continued to be implemented smoothly and within the company’s deadlines. Thanks to the success of this effort, decision making has been streamlined and operational efficiency has greatly improved. The result has been a significant reduction in energy production costs, which has benefited the energy sector and the country.
 

How do you stay up to date on the changing legal and regulatory landscape in regards to your organisation’s area of expertise? 

To keep abreast of the changing nuances of Dominican legislation and its regulatory outlook as it relates to energy, I tend to rely on my extensive experience in the public sector. I have been involved in several projects that have worked to constantly improve the legal framework of the industry I have been privileged to be a part of. I always keep an eye on congressional websites where new legislation is being debated or introduced with the intention of participating in the discourse of these ideas. 

I regularly attend conferences, events and seminars related to my field, which allows me to keep up to date on new legal theories or ideas related to the energy sector. This gives me the opportunity to interact with other professionals and experts in the field, which is invaluable to better understand the nuances and implications that new laws or regulations may have on our operations. In this way, we can ensure that our company quickly and effectively adapts to new regulatory standards set by the government and operates well within that framework.