Public-Private Partnerships for Sustainable Development

Ambassador Federico Cuello, Permanent Representative of the Dominican Republic to the United Nations; Dr. David Stillman, Executive Director of the Public-Private Alliance Foundation (PPAF); Tom Kadala, President of ResearchPAYS, Inc. and Rafael Fernandez, Chairman and CEO of RJS Group, will appear on Sabado Agropecuario (The Saturday Agricultural Journal), on Saturday, November 21 at 7:30 a.m.. Manuel González Tejera is the interviewer. 

The group will review plans for the upcoming Fourth Bioenergy International Debate, scheduled for December 3-4 in Santo Domingo and the current work of RJS group in the Dominican Republic.  This December meetings will be hosted by the National Energy Commission, the Ministry for the Environment and Natural Resources, and organized by PPAF and ResearchPAYS.   The report of the Third Bioenergy International Debate is available on the PPAF website at http://www.ppafoundation.org/events.html

They will also talk about the 14^th Regional Forum on Biofuels and Other Renewable Energies, which has taken place in Santo Domingo from 18 – 20 November.

RJS Group is a sponsor of the December event.  The Group is developing fuel ethanol for the local Dominican market and for export to the U.S. and the European Union through production of sweet sorghum.  Their new project will also produce bioelectricity for the local market using bagasse and straw yield of sorghum.  According to RJS Group, their project is designed to be strategically located in the Northwest Region of the Dominican Republic so as to exploit the comparative and competitive advantages of the area for agro-industrial activities and, with that, promote regional development with economic sustainability, environmental and social benefits.  For more information see: http://www.rjsgroupdr.com

Sabado Agropecuario is a program of Revista 101 and is broadcast on local television channels, a Dominican Channel in the Northwest Coast of the United States and Canada and through the airwaves of 107.7 FM.

Following the October 7-9 Bioenergy International Debate, Ambassador Federico Cuello, Dr. David Stillman and Mr. Tom Kadala appeared on the Sabado Agropecuario television show in Santo Domingo to discuss outcomes, achievements and plans for the future.   This segment features Ambassador Cuello.  Click here to view:    Bioenergy International Debate on Sabado Agropecuario

The Maxims News Network featured the Public-Private Alliance Foundation (PPAF) today in an article entitled Financial Solutions for Green and Bio-Energy in Dominican Republic. The article includes videos, photos, and an event summary from the “Partners Against Poverty” conference held at the United Nations and co-sponsored by PPAF on June 17, 2009.

For further information, please read PPAF’s report on the event or visit Maxims News article.

Christiana Sciaudone of Recharge News recently wrote a story featuring the Public-Private Alliance and their efforts to facilitate public-private investment in ethanol that was published on June 26, 2009.

The full article, Dominican Republic ripe for sugar-cane ethanol financing, can be found below:

With many of its sugar-cane fields lying fallow, the Dominican Republic is ideal for ethanol investment, and a non-governmental organisation (NGO) has launched a major initiative to make sure that happens.

The New York-based Public-Private Alliance Foundation (PPAF) is seeking ways to finance ethanol deals, It aims to “reach business deals in ethanol and related biofuels”, says David Stillman, PPAF executive director, PPAF says it has received calls from groups in places as diverse as Hong Kong and New Jersey that are interested in participating.

Sugar is currently grown in the Dominican Republic, but ethanol is not produced because Stillman says it considered that “the market was not right”. However, steps have been taken to improve market prospects, including a law that promotes renewable energy with favourable taxation and import-structure regulations.

PPAF held a major meeting last month, bringing together government, business, NGO and academic representatives,

Grupo Vicini, which has been growing and milling sugar cane in the Dominican Republic since the 19th Century, is participating in the PPAF discussions, and is analysing the potential of producing ethanol and co-generating electricity.

‘We are still going over the numbers,” explains Marino Incháustegui, industry and energy director at Vicini. The analysis should he done within the next four months.

He adds that while ethanol investments will be judged by the bottom line, “if the bottom line is there, we will be there”.

The export potential for the Dominican Republic is also promising, as it is not limited by trade barriers like those in Brazil, where the US imposes a $0.54 per gallon tax. Brazil is being consulted, due to its years of ethanol-production experience, and it is hoped Brazilian development bank BNDES will be interested in financing local production.

However, one possible problem specific to the Dominican Republic is that most of the cane-cutters are Haitian immigrants. There are long-standing issues regarding both illegal immigration in the country and their working conditions, which must be tackled if plans go ahead.

The article is available for download in PDF, Microsoft Word .DOC, and JPG.