SANTO DOMINGO. Over the past five years, the Dominican Republic has experienced a series of power outages that have highlighted technical, management, and resilience challenges in the National Interconnected Electric System (SENI). Although the frequency of widespread blackouts had decreased following previous reforms, recent events have reignited public and political concerns about energy stability.
2020: generation deficits and extended blackouts
According to reports from DR1 News, widespread power outages occurred between August and September 2020 due to a generation deficit exceeding 1,200 MW of the 2,461 MW demanded by the National Interconnected System (SENI). This imbalance led to scheduled shutdowns and service disruptions in several regions of the country.
During that period, specialized media indicated that multiple thermal and combined cycle plants were operating below capacity or offline, leaving the system vulnerable to increases in demand, especially during peak consumption hours.
This episode was attributed by industry experts to weaknesses in generation planning and operational failures in handling the system's demand curve.
2021–2024: Periods of partial stability and operational challenges
In 2021, according to DR1 News, the availability of electricity service improved significantly, with around 85.7% of Dominican households receiving power between 20 and 24 hours a day, representing one of the most stable periods of the last decade.
However, that same report noted that, despite the overall stability, the SENI continued to face regional disruptions and short localized blackouts, in many cases linked to failures in transmission lines or substations.
June 2024: Official acknowledgment of technical failures
Years later, in June 2024, President Luis Abinader publicly declared that the persistent blackouts were no longer the result of financial problems within the system, but rather of technical failures in the National Interconnected System (SENI). According to publications by Dominican Today, he asserted that there were no “financial blackouts” and that the recorded interruptions were due to operational failures.
That statement marked a turning point in the public narrative about the energy crisis, focusing the debate on the need for technical and maintenance improvements across the entire SENI infrastructure.
November 11, 2025: First widespread failure in years
On November 11, 2025, the country suffered a widespread blackout that left the entire nation without electricity. The outage was initially attributed to an incident at the 138/69 kV SPMI substation and on the 138 kV SPM–Cumayasa line, which caused a chain reaction of several generating units going offline.
That event was described by industry experts as one of the most significant failures of the National Interconnected System (SENI) in recent years, due to the domino effect caused by the disconnection of generators and transmission systems in a matter of seconds.
Impacts reported in 2025
- Urban mobility: the Santo Domingo Metro service and other mass transit systems were temporarily interrupted.
- Essential services: hospitals and health centers activated backup generators.
- Traffic chaos: malfunctioning traffic lights caused congestion in several cities.
Analysts described the blackout as a wake-up call regarding the need to increase investment in transmission, inter-institutional coordination, and preventative maintenance.
February 23, 2026: New blackout and transmission failures
The Minister of Energy and Mines, Joel Santos, explained in an official statement from ETED that the SENI emergency protocols were immediately activated to stabilize the grid and gradually restore power. It was officially reported that the initial restoration reached 30% by the afternoon of the same day, prioritizing essential services and critical areas.
Response measures in 2026 (ETED)
- Activation of SENI emergency protocols from the first minute of the failure.
- Coordination with energy control centers to gradually restore service.
- Priority for hospitals, drinking water, and transportation systems. (Official ETED statement, February 23, 2026)
Recurring causes and technical factors
Industry experts have consistently pointed out that:
- The vulnerability of the SENI does not depend solely on generating plants, but on the interconnection between generation, transmission and distribution.
- Failures in critical transmission lines, such as Hainamosa–Villa Duarte, can trigger chain disconnections if there are no rapid isolation mechanisms.
- Preventive maintenance and modernization investments are key to reducing system fragility.
This analysis coincides with publications from Diario Libre and other specialized media, which have emphasized the importance of addressing structural problems and not just cyclical ones to guarantee a reliable energy supply.
Cumulative socio-economic impacts
The blackouts of 2020, 2025 and 2026 have had concrete effects:
- Prolonged disruptions to basic services in several provinces.
- Disruption of urban mass transit.
- Displacement of economic and productive activities.
- Growing dependence on backup generators in homes and businesses.
Public perception and political criticism
Civil society organizations, political parties, and business sectors have criticized the state's planning and response to these events, demanding greater transparency in the publication of technical reports and structural strategies to reduce vulnerabilities.
Furthermore, statements from political leaders have urged the Government to accelerate investments to modernize the National Interconnected System (SENI), strengthen the system's climate resilience, and improve official communication in times of crisis.
Recommended readings:
- El Inmobiliario connects the Dominican market with the world in five languages
- Authorities report Dominican Republic has fully restored its electrical system; they announce the start of the investigation phase
- Nationwide blackout: Energy and Mines reports that 60% of the electrical system has been restored
- Summary of events up to 3:00 pm with the general blackout in the Dominican Republic
