Natural resources, energy and environment
The Dominican Republic has significant nickel
resources and there are also gold, silver and some other
minerals. However, the mining industry has so far no
great significance for the economy. The energy needs
have so far been largely covered by imported oil, but
the electricity shortage is a major problem.
Nickel mining has long dominated the small mining
industry and provided some export earnings. In the fall
of 2012, however, two Canadian mining companies began
extracting gold from a mine in Pueblo Viejo, which in
the long term is expected to generate good income. The
mine is considered one of the largest in the world and
its operations represent the largest foreign investment
project in the country. There are also assets on silver,
copper and zinc. Salt is extracted near Lago Enriquillo
and from seawater.
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COUNTRYAAH:
Major exports by Dominican Republic with a full list of the top products exported by the country. Includes trade value in U.S. dollars and the percentage for each product category.
There are major shortcomings in the electricity
supply (see also Economic overview), as the electricity
grid is poorly developed and maintenance is neglected.
Long power outages and high electricity prices affect
both companies and private individuals and on several
occasions have led to popular dissatisfaction and social
unrest. Many rely on their own generators or steal
electricity through thieves.
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Abbreviationfinder: A popular acronym site in the world covering abbreviation for each country. For example, DR stands for Dominican Republic.
The Dominican Republic lacks its own major energy
resources. For a long time, mainly oil was imported from
Venezuela on favorable terms according to the so-called
Petrocaribe program, but the uncertain economic and
political situation in Venezuela has led to attempts to
use other energy sources as well. In particular, a state
/ private joint venture has been invested in which two
coal-fired power plants in Punta Catalina, despite
protests from, among other environmental organizations,
hope to increase energy supply by 20 percent. There are
also plans to extract biofuel from sugarcane and from
the jatropha oil plant.
A little over a quarter of the country is covered by
forest, but logging is an environmental problem. Even
unplanned construction is a threat to the environment,
especially on the coasts.
FACTS - ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT
Energy use per person
734 kilos of oil equivalent (2014)
Electricity consumption per person
1578 kWh, kWh (2014)
Carbon dioxide emissions in total
21 540 thousand tonnes (2014)
Carbon dioxide emissions per inhabitant
2.1 tonnes (2014)
The share of energy from renewable sources
16.5 percent (2015)
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