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Title: POWER OUTAGES AFFECTING COUNTRY ON EVE OF ELECTION Source: EFE Agencia

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC Story Filed: Monday, May 15, 2000 8:07 PM EST

Santo Domingo, May 15, 2000 (EFE via COMTEX) -- On the eve of the presidential election, the country finds itself in the grip of blackouts lasting as long as 10 hours a day, residents complained.

The 300-400 megawatt deficit in electricity production has remained because a great many power-generation plants are out of service and others are working at less than full capacity, sources said.

Manuel Ramon Morel Cerda, the president of the Central Elections Board (JCE), on May 4 sent several letters to executives of electric utility companies asking for their help in making sure that there would be electric service from Sunday, May 14 through Thursday, May 18 in the areas where there are electoral boards.

One electric utility official, Radhames Segura of the Dominican Electricity Corporation, said that his company had taken special measure to avoid outages during Tuesday's voting. EFE

jpg/jlb http://www.efe.es Copyright (c) 2000. Agencia EFE S.A. http://library.northernlight.com/FD20000515230000010.html?cb=0&dx=2006&sc=0#doc

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