I’m not sure yet what the impact will be of this natural gas plant in the northwest of the Dominican Republic, but I read another article stating the the plant would provide cheaper and more efficient power. What I read was the cost would be up to three times cheaper. Though there have been some nay sayers, it does sound like good news to me. What do you think? Do you see any possible downside?
Arab Emirates confirm natural gas plant for Dominican NW
Article provided by Dominican Today, October 6, 2009
Santo Domingo.- President Leonel Fernandez met for more than one hour yesterday with United Arab Emirates Foreign Relations minister, to confirm the start of construction, in the next few days of a modern 600 megawatt natural gas plant in Manzanillo, Montecristi (northwest), at a cost of US$800 million.
The presence of Sheikh Abdallah Binzayid Al Nahyan and the official delegation stems from Fernandez’s visit to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates eight months ago, when he held various meetings.
After the meeting Al Nahyan held a press conference accompanied by his Dominican par Carlos Morales, and firmed the establishment closer relations. The Arab official said his country will also install an embassy in the country, which will serve all of Latin America.
Al Nahyan said he felt impressed with the country’s beauty and with Dominicans and also with its relation with the company that manages the Caucedo Multimodal Port, adding that his nation may also invest in the country’s energy, financial and tourism areas.
This newly announced project means more good news for the Samana Peninsula. Though the project won’t be completed for 20 years, the scope of this project indicates to me that Samana has a very bright future. The Samana Peninsula, where Las Terrenas, Samana and Las Galeras are located, has been getting attention from travelers, retirees and investors for many years. Real Estate appreciation in the area has been as high as 35% per year, averaging about 20% over the last five or six years.
Cisneros announces his Investments – article supplied by dr1.com
Venezuelan businessman Gustavo Cisneros has announced plans to build Tropicalia, a resort and residential project in the Samana Bay-Miches area in the east of the DR, with an estimated value of US$485 million. Construction is due to begin in March 2010 and will be completed by 2030, with a further US$1.5 billion investment over that period for a total investment approaching US$2 billion.
Cisneros spoke of a vision for building a socially responsible tourism venture. He made his announcement during an American Chamber of Commerce luncheon, which was also attended by President Leonel Fernandez.
Cruise Ship Boom – article supplied by dr1.com
“We are talking about a boom in cruise ship visits,” said Tourism Minister Francisco Javier Garcia, speaking at the IFTM/Top Resa 2009 event in Paris. He said numbers show that cruise ship arrivals are up 24%, despite the general lull in travel.
He said that cruise ship arrivals to the DR have been increasing in the past two years. From 375,000 cruise arrivals in 2007, some 505,000 visitors arrived in 2008, and a greater number is expected by year-end 2009. The Minister predicted that this growth was set to continue, adding that the leading Caribbean cruise ship conference is booked for Santo Domingo in October 2010. The main players in the cruise industry will be visiting the city for The 17th Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (F-CCA) Conference & Trade Show from 25-29 October.
DR has three main cruise ship ports: Casa de Campo in La Romana, Samana and the Port of Sans Souci in Santo Domingo with its Don Diego and Sans Souci terminals.
