DOE renews emergency orders to bolster grid ahead of next hurricane season

By THE STAR STAFF

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has renewed two emergency orders aimed at strengthening Puerto Rico’s fragile electrical grid as the island braces for rising energy demand and the 2026 hurricane season, the agency announced Wednesday.

The orders, issued under Section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act, extend through May 11 of this year, and follow earlier emergency actions taken in May, August and November of 2025. They authorize the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) to continue dispatching essential generation units and accelerate vegetation‑management work along critical transmission routes.

“The Department of Energy will continue modernizing Puerto Rico’s electric grid to ensure the island achieves long‑term resilience and reliability,” U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright said. “Renewing these orders ensures that critical work continues, urgent reliability challenges are addressed, and Puerto Rico’s grid is prepared to withstand rising energy demand. Thanks to President Trump, these efforts are generating real and lasting progress for Puerto Rico.”

According to the DOE, the emergency actions have already helped Puerto Rico restore up to 820 megawatts of baseload generation capacity, contributing to a systemwide capacity increase to 6,460 MW. The measures also allowed several plants to operate without water injection during a recent water‑supply crisis, ensuring uninterrupted electricity despite unexpected conditions.

Another focus of the renewed orders is vegetation management, a persistent vulnerability in Puerto Rico’s power system. Falling branches and overgrown brush during frequent storms and high winds have repeatedly damaged transmission lines, triggering outages and, in some cases, posing wildfire risks.

Gov. Jenniffer González Colón praised the extension, calling the DOE’s actions “fundamental” to avoiding widespread blackouts.