Dominican Republic utility Edesur will introduce a new grid usage charge for certain solar net metering customers from Nov. 1, 2026. The charge will apply to electricity exported to the grid, although questions remain over which existing contracts will be affected.
Dominican Republic’s national utility Edesur has announced that it will introduce a new billing charge for certain customers with rooftop solar installations in the Dominican Republic from Nov. 1, 2026, under the country’s distributed generation regulations.
According to a notice sent by the utility to its self-generation customers, the measure will initially apply to those who joined the net metering program before October 2021 and are subject to the BTS-1 and BTS-2 low-voltage tariffs, which cover residential and commercial electricity consumers, respectively.
The change is based on Resolution SIE-007-2026-REG, issued by the Superintendency of Electricity (SIE) in January 2026. Article 19(1)(e) of the resolution establishes a distribution network usage charge for customers on single-part electricity tariffs.
The charge will be calculated by multiplying the electricity injected into the grid, measured in kWh, by 25% of the energy component of the customer’s applicable tariff. It therefore does not represent a 25% increase in the total electricity bill or a charge on all electricity generated by the PV installation. Instead, it applies only to electricity exported to the grid.
Affected customers will continue to pay their usual fixed charges and electricity consumption charges, with the new distribution network usage fee added to their bills.
The new charge follows earlier regulatory measures introduced in 2026. Under Resolution SIE-103-2026-TF, the SIE established distribution network usage charges for distributed generation customers served by Edesur, Edenorte and Edeeste for the April-to-September period.
However, the scope of Edesur’s announcement must also be considered in light of the transitional provisions established by the regulator.
When introducing the new regulations in January, the SIE stated that existing interconnection contracts would retain their terms until their expiration. It also indicated that the network usage charge would apply to new installations with demand below 10 kW and to existing installations once their contracts expire.
As a result, enrollment in the net metering program before October 2021 does not necessarily mean that all contracts in that category have expired. Edesur’s announcement does not specify how many customers will be affected or provide details of the contractual conditions determining their inclusion.
The new distributed generation regulations, introduced in February 2026, also reduce the maximum approval period for installations to 45 days and eliminate the previous 15% PV penetration limit per distribution circuit. They also introduce changes to the compensation mechanism for accumulated annual energy credits.
According to the SIE, the network usage charge is intended to account for the costs of maintaining electricity distribution infrastructure used by distributed generation customers and support the financial sustainability of the electricity system.
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