Above: Cibao International Airport

By the Caribbean Journal staff

The Dominican Republic has inaugurated a solar energy apparatus at the Cibao International Airport.

The project, which came at a cost of just under $6 million, will produce a total of 1.5 megawatts of energy through 5,880 solar panels.

That will translate to about 168,000 kilowatt-hours every month. According to the government, that will save roughly 1,240 barrels of oil in a month.

Dominican Republic President Danilo Medina officially opened the plant, which was implemented by Trace International.

“Advanced countries are showing with incontrovertible facts that the development of renewable energy forms part of a necessary strategy to combat the challenges of the future,” said Felix Garcia Castellanos, president of the board of directors of Cibao International Airport.

Garcia Castellanos said the plant would also transfer excess energy to Edenorte, the country’s northern electrical utility.