economy
Why is it mandatory to contract the electricity service with Disnorte-Dissur?
As an opponent, Ortega promised to remove Fenosa and open the market, but he took over the company and fleeced the users.
TL;DR
- The high cost of electricity in Nicaragua is due to an exclusivity contract established in 2000 when the electric distribution was privatized to the Spanish transnational Unión Fenosa.
- Unión Fenosa was sold in 2013 to TSK-Melfosur, renaming it Disnorte-Dissur, with the government demanding a 16% stake.
- In 2020, TSK-Melfosur reportedly sold its shares and left Nicaragua due to fears of US sanctions, with Albanisa unable to directly purchase the shares, leading to the transfer to a private company linked to the Ortega-Murillo family.
- The current electricity costs are the highest in Central America, and Daniel Ortega, who once criticized the monopoly, is now allegedly in control of the company through clandestine businesses.
- Disnorte-Dissur is accused of excessive billing, with residential bills ranging from 2,000 to 11,000 córdobas monthly.
- Legal reforms have given Disnorte-Dissur extraordinary powers, including the ability to prosecute and embargo customers who consume more than 300 kWh.
- The article contrasts Daniel Ortega's past criticisms of the electricity monopoly with his current administration's policies, which maintain and benefit from the monopoly.