COR3 makes 1st disbursement of $7.1M for PREPA reconstruction projects
October 15, 2021
The Central Office of Recovery, Reconstruction and Resiliency (COR3) announced the first disbursement of approximately $7.1 million to the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority for work related to reconstruction projects. “The approval of the Advance Request, presented by PREPA to COR3 and whose millionaire amount was disbursed to cover expenses incurred and projected for the […]
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Op-Ed: 5 questions for House committee on Puerto Rico energy security
October 4, 2021
On Wednesday, the US House of Representatives Natural Resources Committee will hold an oversight hearing on Puerto Rico’s electrical system and the LUMA Energy grid privatization contract. Since LUMA Energy took over the island’s transmission and distribution system operations on June 1, electrical service in Puerto Rico has deteriorated even further — including unacceptably long outage […]
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Delays, damages, poor service: LUMA Energy’s first 2 months highlight privatization flaws
August 18, 2021
Failures and frustrations identified in the first two months of LUMA Energy’s operation of Puerto Rico’s energy grid highlight underlying flaws with the privatization contract, according to an analysis by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis. Since the June 1 takeover, Puerto Rico residents “have experienced significant problems because of LUMA’s implementation of its electric […]
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Op-Ed: Puerto Rico’s electric grid suffers series of setbacks under LUMA Energy management
June 22, 2021
More than two weeks into its management of Puerto Rico’s electrical system, private contractor LUMA Energy is not off to a good start. Frequent power outages and service delays have tested the patience of an already over-burdened customer base since LUMA Energy took control of the island’s electric system in a privatization switchover on June […]
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Op-Ed: Proposed budget for Puerto Rico’s electricity system fails test of balance, compliance and transparency
June 11, 2021
The Federal Oversight and Management Board (FOMB) and the Puerto Rico Energy Bureau (PREB) have each approved budgets for the electrical system for Fiscal Year 2022. The FOMB’s budget demonstrates its abject failure since its inception to produce a transparent budget that demonstrates progress on savings initiatives and meeting the commonwealth’s renewable energy goals. The […]
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LUMA breaks ground on $10M training facility in Canóvanas
April 9, 2021
Company executives and government officials broke ground on the future LUMA College for Technical Training, a $10 million training facility being funded by LUMA parent companies ATCO and Quanta Services. Assessments, onboarding and workforce development are already underway at the LUMA College site, which will become fully operational in phases over the next few months […]
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Op-Ed: Contractor that promised savings set to exceed budget even before taking over
April 9, 2021
Puerto Rico’s key electrical system privatization initiative has been a long-shot to save money for the people of Puerto Rico — and the odds are getting longer, according to an analysis of the 15-year contract with LUMA Energy and its proposed budgets for the next three years. An Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis […]
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Op-Ed: Electrical system contract winner selected based on identical scores, identical mistakes
April 8, 2021
An objective analysis of the award of a 15-year privatization contract for Puerto Rico’s electrical system to LUMA Energy raises numerous red flags about the integrity of the process. LUMA is scheduled to take over the non-generation functions of the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) on June 1, including transmission, distribution, billing, customer service, […]
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LUMA attorneys charge $1K+ an hour and consultants get paid nearly $5M to write plans
February 3, 2021
By Eliván Martínez MercadoCenter for Investigative Journalism Hiring a law firm that charges up to $1,245 per hour. The outsourcing of foreign companies such as Alumbra, from Colorado, which has billed as much as $1.3 million in a single month for plans to transform the energy system without having gone through a competitive process. This […]
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Puerto Rico’s electricity grid ranks last in utility performance survey
February 1, 2021
The Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority recently took last place in a survey conducted by J.D. Power that ranks 144 utilities based on six criteria that include power quality and reliability, price, customer care and communication. PREPA’s score was almost 50% lower than the average utility, 47% worse than the second worst comparable utility and […]
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Campaign promises of ‘low-cost, reliable and clean electricity’ must be kept
January 28, 2021
The devastation caused by Hurricane María in 2017 highlighted Puerto Rico’s “antiquated, expensive and fossil fuel-dependent” electricity grid, providing the Biden administration with an historic opportunity to transform a vital part of the island’s economy. The Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) recommends in a new policy brief that the administration battle entrenched interests that […]
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Burns & McDonnell to support PREPA’s grid revitalization process
January 15, 2021
Kansas City-based Burns & McDonnell has been awarded a contract for program management services to support the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) with the revitalization of Puerto Rico’s electrical grid. The financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. The work will be primarily funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Community […]
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Pierluisi creates steering committee to oversee LUMA Energy contract
January 14, 2021
Gov. Pedro Pierluisi announced the creation of a steering committee to oversee the Public Private Partnership contract to run the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority’s transmission and distribution granted to LUMA Energy. The steering committee was established in response to Executive Order 2021-012, which calls for overseeing and ensuring that the enactment of the contract […]
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Op-Ed: PREPA continues to pursue natural gas plans with federal funding
January 13, 2021
In August 2020, the Puerto Rico Energy Bureau approved a long-term plan for the island’s electrical system that called for greater investments in renewable energy and storage. The bureau worked for months to integrate analysis from a variety of stakeholders and eventually rejected new natural gas initiatives because of their costs and logistical challenges. Yet […]
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Op-Ed: Credit support for PREPA ‒ a sensible tool or another wasteful gimmick?
January 6, 2021
The week before Christmas, the Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico (FOMB) quietly announced a plan for the Commonwealth’s government to loan almost $1 billion to the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) to facilitate the privatization of the island’s transmission and distribution system. This plan was presented in a poorly documented filing […]
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