The national electricity system once again recorded its highest level of consumption just 24 hours after the previous record
SANTO DOMINGO– Just one day after reaching a record high in electricity demand, the National Interconnected Electric System (SENI) broke its own record again. At 8:36 p.m. on Tuesday, it registered an instantaneous power supply of 4,277 megawatts (MW), the highest figure reached to date, according to the Office of the President.
The new record surpasses by 74 MW the mark of 4,203 MW set on Monday night, confirming a trend of sustained growth in energy consumption during the summer and highlighting the pressure that generation and distribution networks face to respond to ever-increasing demand.
The Minister of Energy and Mines, Joel Santos, explained that this behavior is due to a combination of factors, including high temperatures, increased economic activity, and the addition of more households, businesses, and industries to electricity consumption.
The Presidency indicated that the official expects new peaks in demand to continue to be recorded during the coming weeks, since August and September usually concentrate some of the highest levels of consumption of the year due to the intensive use of air conditioning equipment.
A demand that continues to grow
The new peak adds to a series of records set during July. The system had reached 4,185.11 MW on July 22; it subsequently reached 4,203 MW on Monday the 28th and, just 24 hours later, surpassed that mark again with 4,277 MW.
According to official information, the SENI was able to supply the entire demand registered during these peaks, reflecting the operational capacity of the system to respond to the increase in consumption.
The challenge of sustaining supply
Although the new records demonstrate greater economic dynamism and increasing electrification of various sectors, they also pose the challenge of maintaining a system with sufficient capacity to respond to a demand that continues to rise.
Authorities maintain that investments in power generation and the strengthening of the electrical infrastructure have allowed the country to respond to these record highs without compromising the supply of service.
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