Itabo power station
 |
|
This article is part of the Coal Issues portal on SourceWatch, a project of Global Energy Monitor and the Center for Media and Democracy. See here for help on adding material to CoalSwarm. |
| This article is part of the CoalSwarm coverage of Latin America and coal |
| Sub-articles: |
| Related articles: |
Itabo power station is a 260-megawatt (MW) coal-fired power plant in Bajos de Haina, San Cristobal, Dominican Republic.[1]
Contents
Location
The undated satellite photo below shows the plant, which is near Bajos de Haina, San Cristobal, Dominican Republic.
Background
The two-unit, subcritical Itabo plant has been operational since the 1980s; Unit I (128 MW) and II (132 MW) went online in 1984 and 1988, respectively. It is owned by Ege-Itabo, owned equally by the state-owned Generadora de Electricidad Itabo and AES Dominicana.[2]
Clogged with Sargassum
In July 2018 an estimated 30 tons of seaweed clogged the plant's cooling system and forced the plant to be shut down.[3] In June 2019 the plant was shut down due to the accumulation of sargassum, a kind of algae, in its cooling units.[4] Greater quantities of sargassum have been linked to climate change and higher sea temperatures off the coasts of Brazil and West Africa, from which sargassum floats to the Carribbean.[5]
Proposed Shutdown of Units 1 & 2
In September 2014, Omar Ramírez Tejada, Executive Vice President of CNCCMDL (the Dominican National Council on Climate Change and Clean Development) was quoted as saying that Itabo I and II would be shut down as soon as the 752 MW Punta Catalina coal plant commences operations in 2017.[6]
Unit 3 Expansion
In March 2013, the Dominican national electricity agency CDEEE (Corporación Dominicana de Empresas Eléctricas Estatales) signed an agreement with AES Dominicana for the construction of a 300 MW, US$800 million third unit at Itabo, to be financed by a mix of public and private funds.[7]
Itabo III, SRL, is listed as one of the many subsidiaries of AES.[8]
As of January 2017, the Latin American business website BNAmericas stated that the Itabo III expansion was still "awaiting construction decision."[9]
However, as of January 2018, AES Dominicana only lists the Itabo I and II plants on its website, and makes no mention of the Itabo III project.[10]
Meanwhile, scant press reports about Itabo III indicate that there has been no movement on the expansion project since 2013. A September 2015 article in Vanguardia del Pueblo noted that plant sponsor Ege-Itabo had not spoken about the project in more than two years[11], a September 2016 report in Revista 110 quoted energy expert José Luis Moreno San Juan as saying that the Dominican electrical sector would be stronger if the Itabo III plant had been built, implying that the project was no longer active[12], and an August 2017 report in El Caribe cites Itabo III's demise as a direct consequence of the Dominican government's backing of the much larger Punta Catalina coal project.[13]
Project Details
- Sponsor: Ege-Itabo
- Parent company: Generadora de Electricidad Itabo, AES Dominicana
- Location: Bajos de Haina, San Cristobal, Dominican Republic
- Coordinates: 18.4057971, -70.0271693 (exact)
- Status:
- Unit 1: Operating
- Unit 2: Operating
- Unit 3: Cancelled
- Gross Capacity:
- Unit 1: 128 MW
- Unit 2: 132 MW
- Unit 3: 250-300 MW
- Type:
- Projected in service:
- Coal Type: Bituminous
- Coal Source:
- Source of financing:
Articles and resources
References
- ↑ "Empresa Generadora de Electricidad Itabo, S.A.,", AES Dominicana website, accessed October 2015.
- ↑ "Coal-Fired Plants in the Caribbean,", Power Plants Around the World website, accessed April 2014.
- ↑ Tons of seaweed force shutdown of major power plants in the Dominican Republic, GulfCaribe, Jul. 27, 2018
- ↑ https://www.diariolibre.com/actualidad/medioambiente/el-sargazo-amenaza-la-produccion-de-energia-electrica-en-dominicana-GH13142455 El sargazo amenaza la producción de energía eléctrica en Dominicana], Diario Libre, Jun. 20, 2019
- ↑ Sargassum: a continuing challenge, Dominican Today, May 31, 2019
- ↑ "Nuevas plantas de carbón Baní sacarían del sistema Itabo I y II,", Hoy Digital, September 11, 2014.
- ↑ "CDEEE y AES construirán planta a carbón Itabo III de 300 megavatios,", Hoy Digital, March 25, 2013.
- ↑ "AES Corp. 2015 Form 10-K Exhibit 21.1," U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Feb 27, 2016
- ↑ "Proyecto Termoeléctrico Itabo III,", BNAmericas website, accessed January 2017
- ↑ "Empresa Generadora de Electricidad ITABO, S.A," AES Dominicana website, accessed January 2017
- ↑ "Bancos extranjeros inician desembolsos millonarios a RD Punta Catalina ingresará US$1,200 millones créditos," Vanguardia del Pueblo, September 14, 2015
- ↑ "Experto atribuye a indexación parte de fallas en sector eléctrico," Revista 110, October 25, 2016
- ↑ "La recomendación 76 debe ser ignorada," El Caribe, August 8, 2017
