Etesa Wins Approval for Budget Transfers Despite Deputy Criticism

The company Etesa managed to get the transfer of budget items approved by the Assembly's Budget Committee, despite controversy. The main criticism from the deputies was that additional payments had been made to the company through addendums, an amount that almost reached the original contract value. Oscar de Gracia, Director of Operations at Etesa, clarified that the contracts included in the discussion had already been executed, with amounts ranging between $300,000 and $400,000. In the end, the Budget deputies approved the transfer of items with 11 votes in favor and 3 against. The most questioned transfer was for $10.5 million to honor commitments with the company Iberco, S.A., which carries out repowering improvements on Transmission Line 1 (LT1) between Veladero-Llano Sánchez-El Higo. The other controversial transfer was for $2.5 million to pay companies for cleaning work in easements where electrical transmission towers are located. President José Raúl Mulino recently informed that next year they will take amendments to the law to the Assembly to close these flexibilities that delay public acts. Regarding this point, Etesa's manager indicated that the amount of the addendums may sound high, but we are talking about the first transmission line installed in the country, which needed intervention to be upgraded.