SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic — The Dominican Republic faced another severe electricity crisis on Monday when a significant technical failure within the National Interconnected Electric System (SENI) triggered extensive power outages across multiple regions, including the capital city. This incident marks the second major blackout to hit the Caribbean nation in just four months.
The state-owned Dominican Electricity Transmission Company (ETED) officially acknowledged the system-wide failure, confirming that it had disrupted electrical services throughout substantial portions of the country. Company representatives indicated that technical teams were actively engaged in efforts to gradually restore power to affected areas.
An AFP correspondent stationed in Santo Domingo verified that numerous districts within the capital experienced complete power loss during Monday morning hours, creating disruptions to business operations and daily life. The latest outage echoes a previous nationwide blackout that occurred in mid-November, which left millions without electricity for approximately five hours, including popular tourist destinations such as Punta Cana.
The November incident resulted in severe transportation chaos characterized by massive gridlocks and the suspension of Santo Domingo’s metro services for several hours. Chronic power shortages remain a persistent issue across the Dominican Republic, with some regions experiencing daily service interruptions lasting up to 10 hours.
Energy experts attribute these recurring crises to multiple systemic factors including inadequate infrastructure maintenance, frequent equipment breakdowns, and widespread unauthorized connections to the power grid. These operational challenges continue to undermine the reliability of the country’s electrical infrastructure despite ongoing efforts to improve service delivery.