Here is the English translation you requested of my previous post, note the proposed electric wind generators proposed to be erected on the Punta Perla property.
This is a direct software translation so you may have to read between the lines.
Wind farm will benefit R.D. without harming tourism, says Gonzalez Bunster
ASONAHORES and ask owners to relocate park
By Margarita Canahuate
Published on Monday, 05 March 2007
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Rolando Gonzalez-Bunster, chairman of the Energy Consortium Punta Cana-Macao, CEPM,
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Continuos press statements sent to the media about the negative impact against the interests of Dominican businessmen, if it is built wind farm to generate energy through the use of air currents known as clean energy because it does not polu neither produces carbon dioxide, exclusively tourist zone and statements by various stakeholders. The owners of the surrounding tourist areas, the employer Spain Pepe Hidalgo, Braulio Garrido, Leonte Bernard, Asonahores, and Felix Jimenez reject the construction of these towers, because it would affect investments tourist parties.
The National Association of Hotels and Restaurants (ASONAHORES), has also fixed position on the issue, sharing the view of the Secretariat of State for Tourism that rejects the construction of wind farm in an area reserved for tourist development created according to law, and in which projects have been initiated billionaires. "
The ambitious project of foreign businessman Rolando Gonzalez Bunster, the wind farm Energy Consortium Punta Cana-Macao, is threatened by Felix (Felucho) Jimenez, secretary of State for Tourism, tourism and hospitality employers alike, who are vehemently opposed, were the words of their employer.
By presidential decree 595-06, signed by President Fernandez, who considered that the problem of electricity is of national interest, because since tens of years is hurting the Dominican population, such as tourism and economic growth country, authorized the Energy Consortium Punta Cana-Macao, CEPM, installation, construction and operation of the park project of wind power generation, located in Cape Deception, Section El Salado, the Municipality of Higuey, The Province Altagracia.
In one of the paragraphs of the decree specifies that the construction, installation and operation of the wind farm should be in land owned by the consortium. Only one of the towers is owned by Mr Rolando Gonzalez Bunster, the rest are within the maritime zone (60 meters), but which was subsequently approved by government authorities to operate them.
Gonzalez Bunster, president of the consortium, had been authorized by written notice of fist and lyrics by former president Hipólito Mejía, as mostly used in carrying out their duties since 2003, and sent him to the Navy. Since then, and according to statements given to Journal Horizonte in Greenwich, CT, where is located the main office of CEPM, Gonzalez has been doing all tests for measuring wind for more than three years with the company Rizzo of Denmark , And has applied for all permits for the operation of the park.
The company Rizzo placed about six towers throughout the country since 1997 to measure the speed of the winds, Cape Engaño being the place where there was more wind. Hurricane George was in Cape Engaño the detachment that had there, the beacon tower and the wind too. It was for 1999 when it began again with the measurement process and now have six years in the process, the explanation was rendered by Gonzalez Bunster.
He also expressed Mr Rolando Gonzalez Bunster that applied for permits to the Directorate of Civil Aviation, Environment, Navy, National Energy Commission, Superintendent of electricity, President of the Republic and this process has taken more than five years , As a foreigner can invest in the Dominican Republic. He also revealed that their companies already have the 5 towers at the Port of Caucedo.
Mr. Gonzalez, a pioneer in wind energy in the Dominican Republic, said that in addition to the draft energy Punta Cana-Macao, manages the electricity company of San Pedro de Macoris, (Antigua Cogentrix), bought the December 26, Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., The British government. This plant is about 300 meters from the new bridge in southern San Pedro. Besides controlling the business of generating electricity Haina.
When his company bought the Government in 1999 the company generating Haina, operating 120 megawatts of which 700 were installed. The plants were in a calamitous state, had no alarms or security measures. On the ground that Mitsubishi is in San Pedro, had five (5) tons of vanadium (toxic metal) embedded in the boilers. Possibly it was due to the purchase of low quality fuel and high-vanadium.
Gonzalez expressed that all plants that their companies have settled in the Dominican Republic are high-tech. And clean energy that produces no air emissions and waste pollution, does not require combustion, which is how they produce carbon dioxide (CO2). Precisely one of the most harmful gases that fights the Kyoto Protocol. Muldialmente, governments have agreed to reduce the impact of gaseous pollutants that affect the layer of Oxon.
In 1989 came the first barge, after negotiating a little over two years with the government of former president Joaquín Balaguer. A mill is a machine that transforms wind into usable energy. This energy comes from the action of the wind force on some oblique blades together with a common axis. The rotary axis can connect to various types of machinery for grinding grain, pumping water or generating electricity. When the shaft is connected to a load, as a bomb, is called a windmill. If used to produce electricity is called wind turbine generator.
The current draft of wind or pilot scheme, will have five towers with a capacity of about 9 megawatts. Then showed Journal Horizonte another even more ambitious project is 100 megawatts and will be between 33 and 50 towers in an area of 20 kilometers, depending on the size of the same, that would envisage an investment of $ 160 million and would be financed by the IFC .
With the operation of the towers of wind power would eliminate more than 500 thousand tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) and met extensively with the Kyoto protocol. The content of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased by 31% over the past centuries and this has aggravated the overall overheating.
Wind energy, which does not pollute the environment with gases, or exacerbates the greenhouse effect, is a valuable alternative to the non-renewable fuels such as oil. The wind turbine generators for power production on a large scale and satisfactory returns are medium-sized (15 to 30 meters in diameter, with an output between 100 and 400 kW). Sometimes settle in a row and was then known as wind farms. In California are some of the biggest wind farms in the world and its turbines can generate about 1,120 MW of power (a nuclear power plant can generate about 1,100 MW).
In Spain was inaugurated in 1986 a wind farm of great power in Tenerife, Canary Islands. Later were other facilities in La Muela (Zaragoza), the Ampurdán (Gerona), Estaca de Bares (La Coruna) and Tarifa (Cadiz), the latter dedicated primarily to research. Wind energy represents a 6% of primary energy production in the EU countries and has contributed to tourism in the area, because people stop to look mills or towers.
According to Mr Gonzalez, in the area where the towers are installed wind in the Dominican Republic is a completely desolate area. The few trees grow small and twisted by high velocity winds. It is preferable to build them in desert areas, near the coast, in dry or very steep slopes to be arable. In addition stressed that provide a touch attractive for tourism.
Mr Rolando Gonzalez Bunster denied that appropriates private land for the installation of the towers. The World Bank never would have financed $ 15 million if it had not been particularly good order, he said. He said that World Bank representatives were directed to the Ministry of Tourism in the period 2000-2004 to investigate the matter and that they responded to them that tourism did not feel competent to answer. And that other institutions approved the proposed wind satisfactorily.
The World Bank is a bureaucratic entity and has the result of research on wind energy and the environment. These towers will not be in the areas of the beaches are quieter, indeed, the sea makes more noise! He said Gonzalez. Even all its plants have been approved by the Environment and above all, an institution like the World Bank would finance a project that does not affect areas such as environment and tourism.
He regretted that a project that would bring benefits to the country especially in the energy crisis that confronts, is torpedoed by interest groups. Noting that have emerged recently is that people who reject this project. He indicated that his company is the largest energy producer in the Dominican Republic, with 1,000 megawatts. Of these 700 are in Haina.
The American businessman is part of the organizing committee of the Clinton Global Initiative. Expressing the matter: Do you cree que CEPM promote a project that would bring disastrous consequences for the Dominican Republic or against the world, creating pollutants that affect global warming? Adding that also exists within their projects to buy and convert power plant of 300 megavites (which now consumes diesel), natural gas with an investment of $ 50 million in the next two years according to Journal reported Horizonte. The information can be found on the website of www.clintonglobalinitiative.org
In addition, Mr Gonzalez Bunster assures the Government of the Dominican Republic would be saved each year nearly $ 3 million in the purchase of fuel, and part of the project would be achieved by the President Leonel Fernández, to seek a solution to energy problem, a subject of interest Nacional.
Braulio Garrido opposes projects
Mr Braulio Garrido, president of the Union Project and the Land Tourist Polygon 5 Punta Cana, and landowners in Cape Deception in the tourist resort Punta Cana accused the Energy Consortium Punta Cana - Macao (CEPM) of violating private property to build wind farm. Deny the private institutions that the Government authorized the construction, installation and operation of the wind farm.
CEPM inhibits the development of an area that already have invested more than $ 400 million in land acquisition and preparatory activities for the construction of tourism projects that will generate more than 20 thousand direct jobs. This one is an area highly tourism, and that the Secretary of Tourism, Felix (Felucho) Jimenez, sectorization to the region of Punta Cana, described it as "Polygon 5" by allocating the land as "hotel zone", with a density of 30 rooms per hectare.
The towers that wants to build Gonzalez bunt in land not owned by themselves, would be about 300 metres from one of the best beaches in the Polygon 5, which have already been built hotels Natura Park, Occidental Allegro, Bavarian Sunscape and the Hotel Catalonia. As well as being in very sensitive areas of boom that are large investments that are attracting Puntacana Resorts and Cap Cana, the latter who has just signed an important agreement with Donald Trump.
Braulio Garrido told Journal Horizonte, that the towers are truly within the marine strip that is in the public domain, and not on private land, as had been initially said. The authorization of the use of extension of the Marine band, can only benefit the owner of the land to which this strip.
Similarly reported that the beaches of white sand are less than 300 metres from the alleged towers 1 and 5, but even more, is also a small beach about 200 metres in the middle of the site 3 and 4, ie If erigieren, would be in the midst of two wind towers.
According to Braulio Garrido, the Lord Rolando Gonzalez Bunster CEPM and his company, working outside the law, and often with military weapons under long. And several institutions that support them, including The State Secretariat for Tourism, the council of the Municipality of Higuey, the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, the Navy, and the Presidency of the Republic. Although all, which has shown greater verticality is the Secretary of State for Tourism, the other did so timidly.
At the site where excavations have begun to erect the giant wind-powered generators, should begin in just days, a huge tourism project. We refer to the project Punta Perla, which consist have three boutique hotels, three golf courses, a marina, a medical centre, more than 8 thousand apartments and condos, a water park and other tourist infrastructure.
The consortium Globalia hotelier, who chairs the Spanish businessman Pepe Hidalgo, declared his opposition to the construction of a wind energy park in the estate of Punta Cana 5
In the area of influence of the wind farm are currently in gestation period, among other tourism projects, Punta Perla, Faro Eastern Caribbean Dream, Sol Punta Cana, Ballena Vista and others to which its promoters still not been allocated name.
Some tourism entrepreneurs have not declared to be against the project, which not only what they want in that area because undermine the development of tourism in the area owned by them.
Perl projects "
Mr Braulio Garrido Journal Horizonte informed that the towers have a height of 111 meters, near a 40-story skyscraper, and ensures produces three types of pollution. The visual as it is an area hotels and tourist village and the towers could be seen from Punta Cana; produces sonic pollution, and these wind towers producing 56 deciveles noise (noise) and what is normal in the Republic up to 40 hours day and 35 at night; electromagnetic pollution is the third, and generators that use these towers to operate, and that can cause cancer, leukemia up.
(*) The electromagnetic pollution does not affect humans, but if it produces interference between electronic devices. The electromagnetic radiation is electrically neutral and not carrying loads.
He also said Mr Braulio Garrido that these towers are less than 40 metres from residences. By law, the first 60 meters of land toward the sea, are public utility and we can not build solid structures, such as golf courses, gazebos, etc..
Faro del Este, owned by Guzman, is associated with the family of Bernard Leonte Vasquez, and is in a process of study to begin construction and tourism would be affected by these towers in which two of the wind towers would fall in Lighthouse This, and the other three in Punta Perla.
The chairman of Punta Perla is Mr. Ricardo Miranda Miret. Mr Braulio Garrido is also a partner to provide 3 million metres of land to the project, land that had belonged to his family for decades of years, according to the newspaper interview given to digital.
IFC EN Seizure media campaign against draft
The International Finance Corporation, (International Financial Corporation, IFC), is empowered to alleged media campaign launched in the Dominican Republic against the proposed wind power by recruiting major advertising company that sends thousands of emails, especially news media, to torpedo this way the construction, operation and installation of the towers for wind power.
The International Finance Corporation is an institution affiliated with the World Bank, both chaired by Mr Paul Wolfowitz, a vital source of financial and technical assistance to developing countries around the world. This international organization is owned by 185 member countries and consists of two unique development institutions: the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and International Development association (IDA)
In short, Union of Property Owners and Tourism Projects of the Polygon 5 Punta Cana oppose the construction of a wind farm will be considered a precedent against evil law.