The measure will initially affect customers with BTS-1 and BTS-2 tariffs who have been enrolled in the Net Metering Program since before October 2021
SANTO DOMINGO- Customers of the Southern Electricity Distribution Company, SA (Edesur Dominicana), who have solar panels and are enrolled in the Net Metering Program will have to assume a new charge on their electricity bills starting November 1, 2026, as part of the changes established in the regulation of the sector.
The distribution company reported that the modification will be applied, in a first stage, to users with single or simple BTS-1 and BTS-2 tariffs who entered the program before October 2021.
He also explained that the provision responds to Resolution SIE-007-2026-REG, issued by the Superintendency of Electricity (SIE), which establishes new conditions for the approval, interconnection and operation of distributed generation facilities.
What does the new position entail?
Under the new scheme, customers affected by the measure will have to pay, in addition to the fixed charge and the charge corresponding to energy consumption, an amount for the use of the electrical grid.
This concept will be calculated taking as a reference the electricity that users inject into the system and the price of energy established in the tariff that they have assigned.
According to the regulations, the charge will be equivalent to 25% of the energy charge applied to the electricity delivered to the grid by the customer.
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What are BTS-1 and BTS-2 fares?
The BTS-1 (Low Voltage Simple 1) and BTS-2 (Low Voltage Simple 2) tariffs are electricity billing categories in the Dominican Republic. The first is primarily for residential customers with a connected power of less than 10 kilowatts (kW), while the second generally applies to commercial establishments with a capacity within that same range.
How do they relate to the new position?
Both plans include a fixed monthly fee and another fee based on electricity consumption. In this context, their classification becomes relevant given the regulation issued by the Superintendency of Electricity (SIE), which establishes a charge for using the distribution network for certain users who have solar panels and are enrolled in the Net Metering Program.
Furthermore, the measure will initially apply to customers with BTS-1 and BTS-2 tariffs who joined the program before October 2021, provided they meet the conditions set out in the regulations.
To whom will the provision apply?
Edesur specified that the initial implementation will be directed to self-producers who operate under the aforementioned payments and who have been part of the Net Metering Program since before October 2021.
In that regard, article 19, numeral 1, literal e, of the regulation establishes that the charge for use of the network only corresponds to customers with a single-rate tariff.
The measure adds a new component to the billing of these users, who, in addition to generating part of the electricity they consume through their solar installations, use the distribution network to deliver surplus energy to the electrical system.
Why will the charge be applied?
The provision seeks to establish a charge for the use of the electricity distribution network by customers who generate their own energy through solar panels and deliver the surplus to the system.
Although these users produce some of the electricity they consume, they continue to use the distributors' infrastructure to inject energy and maintain their connection to the electricity service.
Therefore, the new billing concept recognizes this use of the network and will be applied to customers covered by the conditions established by the regulation, without necessarily implying a general increase in electricity rates for all users.
What regulation is it based on?
The charge is included in the new Regulation for the Approval, Interconnection and Operation of Distributed Generation Facilities, approved by Resolution SIE-007-2026-REG of the Superintendency of Electricity.
Specifically, Article 19, paragraph 1, subparagraph e, establishes the network usage charge for customers with a single-rate tariff. The provision indicates that the amount is obtained by multiplying the energy injected into the network by 25% of the energy charge corresponding to the tariff assigned to the user.
Consequently, the new payment is based on the use of the electrical infrastructure by self-producers and not on the total energy generated by their solar panels.
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