Last night, the lights were turned back on for the capital city’s main attractions after city government announced that it will pay back the approximated $60mn it owes the energy companies Edesur and Edenor. During the past week, the energy companies had cut the lights to parks, fountains and major tourist attractions.
In a meeting held yesterday between city government and both energy companies, representatives discussed ways to resolve the debt.
The city’s Minister of Works Néstor Grindetti told Página/12 that the meeting was being held, not to “discuss the past” but to “look for a solution.”
After the meeting, Grindetti confirmed that the debt will be paid in five monthly instalments beginning next week. He also stated that the final sum will be that which it owes minus the interest accrued from the companies.
The challenges to paying the companies escalated when the national government previously announced that it would no longer subsidize energy and transportation for the city. According to Mercopress, the national minister of planning, Julio de Vido, confirmed that subsidy cuts to the province would raise the price of electricity. It has made it difficult for the city to keep up with its energy bills.
“Before, the service was paid once a year. Without the subsidies the payments became much larger and the companies asked if it could be paid monthly. We accepted, but we are still going to try to reclaim the subsidies through judicial action,” added Grindetti.
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