InterEnergy and CEPM report on their progress on the 2030 full decarbonization plan at the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI)

• CEPM is taking firm steps towards zero emissions, under the CEPM Zero initiative, with the construction of more than 200 MW of solar projects in the eastern part of the country; the electrification of Isla Saona with renewable energy and the upcoming inauguration of the first electricity generating station in the Caribbean, before the end of the year, among other projects.

New York, September 19, 2023. InterEnergy advances its commitment to total decarbonization, with a focus on making CEPM generation 100% clean within this decade. This was stated by Rolando González Bunster, president and CEO of the group, during his participation in the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) during the session “Accelerating the Transition to Renewable Energy”, in which the businessman shared a panel with the United States Special Presidential Climate Envoy, John Kerry; the President of Guyana, Mohamed Irfaan Ali; the former President of Costa Rica, José María Figueres; and Vaishali Nigam-Sinha, co-founder and President of Sustainability of ReNew Energy Global PLC, among other prominent figures.

It was in this same scenario, a year ago, when González Bunster sealed InterEnergy’s “Commitment to Action” under a clear purpose: “We recognize our important role in the fight against climate change. This is a shared task to which we contribute with firm commitments, but, above all, with realities. This is what we have done in all the markets where we operate, leading pioneering projects that have set the region on the path towards a generation without emissions”.

One of the first milestones in this roadmap has been the development and construction of several photovoltaic projects distributed near the strategic areas of consumption in the eastern part of the Dominican Republic, which total more than 200MW of power; and accompanied by the expansion of the current infrastructure and storage systems of 110MW, which will also provide stability and reliability to the already robust network of the company. In this line, the installation of photovoltaic parks is also being executed, together with hotel clients, in their shared purpose of turning the eastern part of the country into a model of sustainable development of world reference.

Another of the major advances mentioned was the electrification of Isla Saona, through a photovoltaic generation park with a storage capacity of 5 MWh, which has allowed its more than 600 inhabitants and more than one million visitors per year to have continuous energy for the first time in its history, and from a renewable source 24/7.

These projects are part of one of the key initiatives of InterEnergy’s energy transition plan, “CEPM Zero”, to transform CEPM into a 100% renewable energy, zero-emission electric utility by 2030 with an estimated investment of over US$1 billion and through the construction of more than 500 MW of wind, solar and battery power in addition to the company’s existing generation.

In addition, other technologies are being developed, such as hydraulic pumping in the Miches area as an alternative storage source that could provide more than 500MWh, consisting of two reservoirs with a drop of close to 300m between them, which will allow the use of surplus renewable energy to raise the water, and subsequently drop the stored resource at night, providing and controlling this generation when necessary. Finally, the use of other sustainable fuels such as green hydrogen is being analyzed to achieve ‘net-zero’.

Pioneers in energy transition

In this scenario, the president of InterEnergy explained that this master plan for decarbonization involves a decisive investment in renewable generation projects in different parts of the region. In the Dominican Republic, the company GEDOM, controlled by InterEnergy, is developing the expansion of the Matafongo wind farm in Sabana Buey, which will total 50 MW of wind energy and 50 MW of solar energy, making it the first wind farm of its kind in the country, in addition to the construction of the 50 MW Granadillos wind farm in the northern region and the Cacaos wind farm in Cabrera, with another 50 MW. The expansion of the fourth natural gas unit of the company Energas, located in San Pedro de Macorís, is also being planned for next year, as a boost to the cleaner transition fuel.

Another of the major milestones that the energy group is preparing in this direction is the start-up, in 2024, of the operations of the Gatun Generating Plant in Panama; a natural gas combined cycle power plant with a capacity of 670MW, which will facilitate the integration of more clean energy sources into the Panamanian generation matrix, displacing other more polluting generation sources.

In line with these commitments, the group has also promoted electric mobility through Evergo, which has become the largest and most sophisticated network of charging stations for electric vehicles in the region, with more than 15,000 chargers in the ten countries where it operates. Before the end of the year, the company is preparing to expand to Puerto Rico, Uruguay and Paraguay, and to inaugurate the first Evergo Connect, the first electric vehicle charging station in Central America and the Caribbean, in Bávaro, with 28 stations that will allow the simultaneous charging of 28 electric vehicles with 100% renewable energy.