In 2002, it sold Red Electrica de Espana (REE) the electricity distributor in the Plurinational State of Bolivia, and it sold its holdings in the Dominican Republic’s energy distributors to that country’s government. The purchase of Union Fenosa by Gas Natural, decided on shortly before the recent financial crisis, required it to sell assets in the region to comply with competition regulations, and it also had to reduce the level of its debt. As a result, a new round of sales was launched, including EPSA in Colombia, for US$ 1.1 billion (2009), the combined-cycle power plants belonging to Gas Natural in Mexico, for US$ 1,465 million (2010), and the distribution companies in Guatemala for US$ 345 million (2011).