According to the entity, CNEL would not have imposed fines for delays in works and would have made unjustified payments.
The State Comptroller General’s Office established that the National Electricity Corporation (CNEL) had made unjustified payments of $ 1.1 million for the rehabilitation of the electric power service infrastructure, in improvement works in populations affected by the April 2016 earthquake. , through the project Plan for the Comprehensive Reconstruction of the Affected Areas (Priza).
The Comptroller’s Office, in a new audit carried out on the Priza project, indicated that this body approved the special report on the contracts signed by the CNEL for the reconstruction of the electrical substation of the San Vicente canton and the relocation of transmission lines and the construction of the Manabi Business Unit. Much of these resources arose from the Solidarity Law, created after the earthquake more than five years ago.
This special examination established that allegedly in the reconstruction of the San Vicente electrical substation “the contractor was unjustifiably paid about $ 381,296 for power transformers brought from China,” according to a statement.
In addition, the audit determined that the value of the equipment, plus import costs, expenses and utilities, “amounted to $ 543,754, but the CNEL was billed for $ 925,050.”
“The company in charge of the work did not document the installation of 37 electrical components and labor costs for their assembly, for $ 294,624. Another $ 376,336 was paid for materials that were not used in the relocation of the San Vicente transmission lines, ”indicated the Comptroller’s Office.
Among the analyzed, according to the control team, the alleged absence of complete studies for the project caused the substation to be built without drainage systems, according to the entity.
“In addition, the technical personnel that intervened in the reconstruction of the feeders did not meet the required experience. However, the CNEL did not impose a fine of $ 461,458 for this non-compliance, “the entity said and argued that there were delays in work schedules related to the substation and the relocation of transmission lines, because” the permits were not processed in a timely manner in the Municipality of San Vicente ”.
Deputy Comptroller found several observations on Priza plan contracts in areas affected by the 2016 earthquake
Another of the observations made by the State Comptroller General’s Office is related to fines that were supposed to be applied for unjustified delays.
For example, as part of the Priza project, on June 14, 2017, the construction of the Local and Regional Control Center, Manabí Business Unit in Portoviejo, was contracted.
“The work should have been completed within 150 days, from September 12, 2017 to February 8, 2018, but four extensions and two suspensions were authorized that delayed delivery until June 7, 2019, after 484 days of work started. The CNEL did not collect fines for the delay, which amounted to $ 86,320 ″, the report said.
Also in that process, the CNEL would have made payments for materials and equipment that did not meet the technical specifications, for a value of $ 140,452, according to the Comptroller’s report. (I)
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