PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (sentinel.ht) – In Haiti, a trio of wealthy businessmen involved in the electricity sector and characterized as the “energy mafioso”, have successfully, according to reporting, forced, possibly through extortion, President Jovenel Moise to withdraw from a $2 billion [USD] plan with China to electrify all of Haiti.
The deal with China dates back to September 10, 2016. The Minister of Planning at the time, Aviol Fleurant, under then-provisional President Jocelerme Privert, signed a memorandum of understanding with China to electrify all of Haiti with innovative sources, including solar and wind energy. The $2 billion [USD] plan included $1.2 billion [USD] for the renewable energy parks. The contract was reported by several Haitian news agencies and China’s premier news source.
An MOU is not a final plan and the provisional government of Jocelerme Privert – Enex Jean Charles was facing a slue of legitimacy charges, particularly from members of the Haitian Tet Kale Party (PHTK) of Jovenel Moise. The MOU with China immeddiately received backlash from the three families ruling Haiti’s troubled energy sector. None the less, Jovenel Moise would become President of the Republic of Haiti and as of June’s reporting, has deep sixed any plans to change the status quo that is the Haitian energy crisis.
Kerlens Tilus, writing from his blog has cited the names of Daniel Gerard Rouzier, Bonnefil and Vorbe, as the families with contracts with the Haitian state totaling to more than $240 million [USD] annually and are playing their hands to maintain those contracts. Recall that Rouzier was the first choice for prime minister by former President Michel Martelly, Jovenel Moise’s predecessor in PHTK. Rouzier was rejected by the Parliament for only paying $600 in taxes over a five year period in which he earned hundreds of millions.
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During the Martelly Presidency, when a lady was Director of EDH, there was a move to switch from Venezuelan fuel to natural gas for one of the generating facilities.
A Haitian businessman spent several millions for a natural gas facility only to be blocked by the EDH Director. A natural gas unit is sitting in Haiti, still in its containers.
Martelly supporters were getting free bunker fuel and selling it to the electrical generation plants. Just another crime we will have to pay for over the next 50 years.
Natural gas would have reduced the per kilowatt price by something like 20%.
Could import natural gas from the DR.