600 MW on offer, almost 3 GW delivered: Dominican tender ignites race

The latest renewable energy tender, as shared by the Dominican government, has received a positive market response, considering the 32 solar and wind projects, where battery energy storage held the lion's share, competed for a total capacity of 600 MW. To be decided in May 2026, the process shall enable further expansion within the future rounds at par with the strong participation level share.

What started in August 2025

The region launched the tender for 600 MW solar and wind capacity, which could be traced to August, 2025, where the project demanded inclusion of four hours of battery storage to support the stability in the National Interconnected Electric System (SENI). 

This request was approved by the Superintendency of Electricity (SIE) under Resolution SIE-092-2025-LCE, which aided in establishing the technical and regulatory basis of the tender.

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And what continues now

Currently, as launched by the Dominican Republic, the renewable generation auction with storage has successfully provided output above the market expectation for the 32 solar PV and wind power projects registered under the tender EDES-LP-NGR-01-2025.

Both of these proposals account for a total of 2,960 MWp, which is nearly 5x the capacity, exceeding what had been offered. This marks the process within the country as the most competitive renewable energy auction. 

Awarding of the tender of 600 MW will be done by the state-owned electricity distribution companies (Empresas Distribuidoras de Electricidad, EDES) via long-term power supply contracts. This focuses directly on strengthening the investment shared for the grid-scale energy storage and renewables.

Soon after the registration phase went live, developers from both the local and international communities shared interests with good bidding numbers. Many of these developers have gained valuable experience by working in Latin America and the Caribbean. 

Additionally, every proposal submitted requires meeting the new technical standards, especially the essential requirement to integrate battery energy storage systems (BESS) to enhance grid stability.

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The project timeline

The upcoming timeline looks at the opening of the technical bids on February 20, 2026. The announcement of the shortlisted financial offers will be made on April 7, 2026. The award decision will span from April 27 to May 25, 2026, and the final closing and contract signing will be done on May 27, 2026.

Region-based capacity

Regionally, the eastern side, which is an esteemed leader in terms of capacity by holding 1,165.7 MWp, is backed by various projects like Helios Solar Park, Mella Solar Project 1, Redsolar Energy Green, Las Parras Energy and two solar parks promoted by Washington Capital, among others.

The Northern region is seen to provide a capacity of 1,038.2 MWp as it has featured projects like the four phases of Guayubín Solar, Ardavín Solar, Taino I and the Esperanza Wind Farm, which is recorded as the only wind project in the tender.

Following closely is the Southern Region, which adds 476.1 MWp through initiatives such as Caribe Farms Solar, Girasol Phase II and Matafongo. In addition to this, the North Zone contributes an additional 281.2 MWp with the Dicayagua Solar Park and Dominicana Azul.

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Storage requirements set to mark a new benchmark regionally

Apart from the capacity, the tender introduced new technical conditions, which, for the first time, will require a specific regulatory framework for the energy project, which will be vital for all the projects to adhere to. 

Within these new regulations, which include the injection curves, are the requirements for contingency responses, the integration of SCADA systems and the technical validation needed from equipment manufacturers. As of now, the industry experts are excited about this development, pointing out that the mandatory inclusion of storage sets a new standard for the Caribbean and Central America.

The government issued an important technical update for energy storage systems while the tender is still in process. The newly defined guidelines redefine what is expected, especially considering the minimum installed capacity, grid integration, response times at the time of critical events and effective reporting of the performance data. 

With this update, the technical bar rises with the aim of ensuring battery storage acts as an active grid resource and not as backup, with stable delivery, improved service quality and predictability across the Dominican electricity system.

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Aiming to triple the clean energy by 2030

According to the report submitted by the International Renewable Energy Agency, the Dominican Republic announced that it is ramping up the share of renewable energy in its energy mix and is targeting to move from 9 per cent to 27 per cent by 2030.

However, the submitted report highlights the pressing opportunities as well as challenges for the country, which mainly fall within the power sector. Given the policy followed currently, the region's renewables share in the power generation can reach only 21 per cent by 2030, which is 25 per cent less than the national target set to be achieved by 2025.

Moreover, an annual investment of USD 566 million is required to achieve the target set between and 2030, enabling the reach of the renewables mark of 27 per cent. To share this type of investment, the net annual savings are required to be up to USD 5.3 billion annually by 2030, especially after considering factors like reduced emissions and human health.

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