Electricity company, DOMLEC, is coming under increased fire from angry customers over a series of power cuts, similar to what took place last year which at times brought the country to a standstill.
In recent times, DOMLEC began posting announcements on social media of the power cuts which it said is for “load management purposes.”
As the days went by, the announcements became more frequent, showing that the cuts were affecting large swathes of the island. In some cases, the power went off for extended periods without an alert from DOMLEC, or the alert was posted the evening before the cuts.
This has not been going down well with many Dominicans, who took to social media to express their disgust and frustration.
“Dominica Electricity Services Ltd. Please have a press conference to let the people know what is going on,” one person wrote on Facebook.
“You all cannot just inconvenience people just like that with a notice the evening before. Get u all act together and do things right! People are paying their long money for a service, is not freeness. Tell the people what is really going on. Geez man.”
Under pressure, DOMLEC said it will be addressing the matter on a special hour-long program on state-owned DBS Radio on Tuesday at 6:00 pm but many Dominicans remain skeptical. Some prefer a press conference.
“So DOMLEC just start putting out list and didnt at least have the courtesy to hold a press conference to inform customers to say we back to load shedding and why we back to this torture,” another wrote. “That’s not how it’s done.”
Others said the company was just using the fancy term “load management” instead of just “load shedding” to hide its inefficiency.
“People are really and truly fed up with Domlec,” another wrote of Facebook.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit appears to be distancing himself and his government from the problems plaguing DOMLEC, which was acquired by his government in 2022. Back then he said the acquisition was part of his vision “of a dynamic Dominica.”
“DOMLEC is a private company,” he said at a press conference on Monday.
“I have intervened in the past because it had [become] a national issue and we have done a number of things to assist DOMLEC.”
He stated that the company was given a new generator owned by the government and resources were mobilized to purchase a 4.8 megawatts generator for the company.
“My understanding is that this generator is being worked on and to add to the grid,” he remarked.
“But I believe the main issue as far as I have seen from DOMLEC is that the hydro went down and of course has placed a strain on the other diesel generators.”
Skerrit also stated that he is leaving the details of the matter for DOMLEC to address.
“I think they have a duty and obligation to answer to the public on what’s going on and what are the actions they are taking to have the situation remedied,” he said.
Last year, Dominica was plagued by a series of power cuts which DOMLEC ultimately blamed for insufficient generation. The matter was seemingly brought under control with government intervention in time for the country’s 45th Independence celebration. DOMLEC also said several measures were put in place to have the country return to normalcy by early December last year.
Hence, many Dominicans were surprised when the cuts started again recently.
“Dominicans deserve to know why we are back to load shedding!!” one wrote on Facebook.
“It can’t be due to lack of rain. You all said you were getting new generator(s) and yet here we are in 2024 with the same BS from last year! Your customers deserve to know why this nonsense is back! And back at the hottest time of the year!”
So what happen to all the chest-beating about CBI money, is it not enuf to solve any given issue? Or, is there any money? 💰
Where’s Waldo, the doctor 🤔
Hope we hear from him in 25 years.
We must stop blaming Domlec for things they have no damn power over, when we know it’s all Skerrit that willfully destroying everything on island.
Look the man is able to find money to give EC 1 million dollars to each of the islands that got destroyed by Beryl that just happened two weeks ago but can’t find money to replace old generators of Domlec he purchased in 2022.
I am not against helping hurricane victims but dear God! Charity begins at home man. Which of you would watch all you man take good care of outside women while you that there cooking, washing his clothes, taking care of his children but he never has money to buy you a panty, let alone to take you out for dinner? I just don’t know what is wrong with us man. We blaming everyone, every institution, blaming our bank and credit union for problems we know Skerrit created, but we there treating the damn man as if he is an angel sent by God when we know he destroying us like Satan and always stressing us out to the grave
The only thing paragraph that matters and makes sense in this article is this :
“Meanwhile, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit appears to be distancing himself and his government from the problems plaguing DOMLEC, which was acquired by his government in 2022. Back then he said the acquisition was part of his vision “of a dynamic Dominica.”
All that bashing and blaming and calling on DOMLEC to address this is just pure crap because we know Domlec was Ok before Skerrit placed his hands on it and we heard when he echoed his vision for Domlec. We know damn well that Skerrit is the problem and instead of making noise with Domlec make noise with Skerrit, who came not but…destroy. The man destroyed our banana industry but all you made noise with black sigartoka. He destroyed Ross university and all you blamed it on Maria. He destroyed all you future by giving all jobs to foreigners but all you making noise and say our people can’t work and lazy. He destroyed all you family but all you…
we were also getting geothermal power generation, that too has been a long time coming. I don’t expect tariffs to fall once and when we get any power from geothermal. Too many hands in the pot to let any benefits trickle down to those if us sitting in the dark again.
Don’t worry, it’ll all be “repaired” for Independence and Creole, heaven forbid the visitors have to be inconvenienced like us.
But is the GOVT who selected the members of the IRC board that are responsible for initially putting DOMLEC in this situation by not providing them the approval to purchase new generators.
Then the same GOVT turned around and buy the majority of shares in DOMLEC….and we are aware of the history of failures of most things the GOVT touch…Therefore the original situation is ONLY going to get worse as long as this GOVT is involved.
Roosevelt has literally turned Dominica into a Black Hole. In any other country where the citizenry are made to suffer this much ( frequent electricity outages, daily water interruptions, soaring food prices, as tropical unemployment, severe food insecurity, overly corrupt justice system, a police state) the people would have rioted.
By remaining mostly silent despite the abuse meted out to the citizenry, Dominicans have surrendered the country to a tyrannical con man.
The moment i heard Government was buying Domlec i said look is now we in problems. The person (a poto laborite) who told me the story was excited, saying yes labor doing big things they can even control Domlec now, things will be better. I had to remind them about the last time government bout Domlec and how it turned out. I had to explain to them that government doesnt have the expertise or the finances to ensure DOMLEC is successful or even that the cost of electricity will be brought down. they said oh geothermal will help. i asked them when do they think geothermal will be? I said not even a solar panel your government can think to put on ministries and financial center to save the country a dollar in energy expenses. But is Domlec all you want to purchase?
IDK if is me but Dominicans like to put themselves in things that do not concern them too much. We like to follow fashion without understanding and just do nonsense. It have more to come. trust me. has to get worse.
You are dead right. What some people failed to realise was that the ownership of DOMLEC had nothing to do with the science of providing power to citizens efficiently. The government should have focused ALL its energies (pun intended) on the development of renewable power commencing with all its properties (apart from its many offices it is very sad that the Government built all those housing units in Castle Bruce, La Plaine , Grand Fond, Jimmit, San Sauveur, Cotton Hill, Georgetown Delices, Kalinago Territory etc without the provision of one single watt of renewable energy). Even its hurricane shelters are going to be without power if a disaster prevents fuel getting to the emergency generators when solar power would have made so much more sense. So here we are in a country with the most potential hydro power in the region , vast stores of geothermal power, year round solar availability and yet the least able to provide reliable power in the region (with the possible exception of Haiti