For the real estate sector, it is a sign of greater predictability in basic services, which directly affect the viability of large-scale projects.
SANTO DOMINGO. – The restructuring of the state apparatus was once again placed at the center of the public agenda with the issuance of decrees no. 55-26 and 60-26, both dated January 30, 2026, through which the Executive Branch replaces the Office for the Reorganization of Transportation (OPRET) with a new Metropolitan Transportation Company (EMT) and strengthens the institutional framework of the Dominican Electricity Transmission Company (ETED).
The measures aim to redesign the management model of two strategic services, mass transit and electricity transmission, with direct implications for public investment, corporate governance and infrastructure planning.
The provisions are part of adapting these entities to the public enterprise regime established in Law No. 479-08, the General Law of Commercial Companies and Individual Limited Liability Companies, a move that, according to the Government, seeks to raise standards of efficiency, transparency, and sustainability without altering the public nature of the services.
From OPRET to EMT: separation of functions.
Decree No. 60-26 establishes the Metropolitan Transportation Company (EMT) as the public entity in charge of the operation and maintenance of mass transit systems, replacing OPRET, a decision based on Article 356 of Law No. 63-17, on Mobility, Land Transportation, Transit, and Road Safety.
The new institutional framework introduces a clear separation of functions. While EMT assumes operational management of the systems, the development and execution of infrastructure projects remain the exclusive responsibility of the Trust for the Development of the Mass Transit System of the Dominican Republic (FITRAM).
This redesign seeks to correct the concentration of responsibilities that characterized the previous model, where a single entity combined planning, construction, and operation—a structure that, according to various technical analyses, limited specialization and efficiency.
The
decree also establishes an explicit process for the institutional dissolution and liquidation of OPRET, accompanied by a legal, administrative, and operational transition regime. The regulation guarantees the continuity of public mass transit services, the preservation of existing rights and obligations, the organized transfer of assets and contracts, and the protection of personnel in accordance with applicable law.
To guide this process, a Special Commission in charge of directing, supervising and accompanying the reform and institutional liquidation, with the aim of avoiding impacts on users during the transition.
From an urban perspective, the creation of the EMT is part of a period of expansion of mass transit systems, with new metro lines, cable cars and bus corridors that are reshaping mobility patterns and land value in different areas of Greater Santo Domingo and other metropolitan areas.
ETED: legal continuity and commitment to modernization
On the other hand, Decree No. 55-26 promotes a process of institutional strengthening of the Dominican Electricity Transmission Company -ETED-, conceived as a strategic public company responsible for the transmission of electricity at the national level.
The regulation stipulates that the restructuring will be carried out while fully preserving the company's legal, operational, and financial continuity, as well as its existing rights, obligations, contracts, and assets.
In practical terms, the decree introduces adjustments to the company's management and oversight structure, incorporating modern corporate governance standards and strengthening accountability mechanisms.
ETED remains under the Ministry of Energy and Mines and subject to state oversight and control, but with greater technical and operational autonomy.
The emphasis is on supporting the expansion, modernization, and digitization of electricity transmission infrastructure, as well as fiber optic telecommunications, in accordance with the National Energy Plan and the National Development Strategy.
This component is especially relevant in an energy transition context, where the growth of renewable energies demands more robust, flexible and reliable transmission networks.
From an economic perspective, strengthening ETED also has an indirect impact on the real estate sector, as the availability and stability of the electricity supply is a determining factor in the development of new residential, commercial, and industrial projects, especially in urban and tourist expansion areas.
Implications for Real Estate Development
: Both decisions reveal a common orientation: strengthening public companies under management schemes closer to modern corporate practices, without relinquishing state control. For the real estate sector, this translates into greater predictability in basic services, which directly affects the viability of large-scale projects.
Reliable energy and efficient mass transit are, in practice, structural components of urban value. The government's commitment, if it translates into tangible improvements, could contribute to reducing operating costs, improving the quality of life in cities, and sustaining densification and urban renewal processes.
With decrees 55-26 and 60-26, the Executive Branch reaffirms its strategy of institutional modernization as a pillar of economic and social development. The challenge, as is often the case, will lie in the effective implementation of the changes and in the capacity of these new structures to translate regulatory objectives into measurable results.
