Curtailed renewables cost the Dominican Republic ^{CEFR B2}

The OC report details how curtailment of renewable generation is costing the Dominican Republic and slowing its energy transition. Between January and June 2025 renewable companies lost around USD 5.17 million because the system limited some solar output. Curtailment in May reached 16,171 MWh, about 18 percent of total energy, while January showed an average waste of 21 percent.

These limits raise costs for distributors. Edenorte, Edesur and Edeeste (the EDES) recorded operating cost overruns of USD 6.5 million by buying more expensive fossil energy. At the same time, the marginal cost on the spot market rose from 9.75 to 12.65 US cents/kWh between January and July 2025, which improved revenues for many thermal plants. Compensation for forced dispatch increased from USD 7.44 million (January–June 2024) to USD 11.33 million (January–June 2025). The Electricity Distribution Companies (EDE) had an accumulated deficit of USD 936.7 million by July 2025; the state covered USD 737.3 million of that amount.

The Procedure for the Application of Generation Limitation for Safety Reasons in the National Interconnected Electric System (SENI) has been in force since October 2024, and non‑compliance with the Technical Minimum Power (PMT) standard by some thermoelectric plants has contributed to curtailment. Experts note that lack of modern networks and insufficient storage are crucial factors. Law 80-24 allocated USD 75,000,000 to one network program and USD 225,000,000 to another to address these gaps.

Engineer José Luis Moreno of the Energy Institute of the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (IEUASD) said payment for forced dispatch is remuneration for energy that technically should not be delivered, because inflexible plants cannot shut down quickly. Alfonso Rodríguez of ASOFER warned that distributors end up buying more expensive and more polluting energy while investors in renewables see lower profitability. International studies suggest the country could reach 44 percent renewable generation by 2030. Moreno recommended storing energy primarily to regulate frequency and enable photovoltaic plants to enter the system safely.