Puerto Rico Energy Bureau OKs $1.2B in electrical infrastructure projects
The Puerto Rico Energy Bureau has approved $1.2 billion to be used for all electrical infrastructure projects included in the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority’s (PREPA) 10-year infrastructure plan.
“These projects are an important step in the implementation of Puerto Rico’s energy policy. As the entity in charge of directing and implementing this public policy, we’re pleased to announce that with this approval a much more stable and reliable electrical system is underway,” said the Bureau President Edison Avilés-Deliz.
The Bureau has approved 65 projects, including 230kV, 115kV, and 38kV, transmission lines and distribution substations, distribution feeders in Vieques and Culebra, and power generation projects in Aguirre, Costa Sur, and Cambalache, as well as several hydroelectric facilities.
“In addition, it will allow the integration of greater renewable energy resources, which will bring us closer to the goal of generating all our electricity from renewable sources by 2050,” added Avilés.
These projects can supposedly be carried out in a short time frame and will address significant and essential interests in PREPA’s transmission, conveyance, and substation systems. Together, these projects will address deficiencies in the flow of resources of Puerto Rico’s electrical framework, he said.
“Thanks to this transparent process, and to the Bureau’s regulatory powers, we can assure the people of Puerto Rico that these projects are necessary and that their implementation will imply substantial improvements in the quality of the electric service received by residences, businesses and industrial facilities,” said Avilés.
In compliance with its duties as a regulatory entity, the Bureau had asked PREPA, in a series of orders, to detail the proposed projects, the construction estimates, and the needs that would be met with each one.
Most of the funding for these projects will come from the Federal Emergency Management Agency as part of post-María reconstruction efforts. PREPA must now get final approval for the use of funds from the Central Office of Recovery, Reconstruction and Resiliency (COR3), and FEMA.
