Energy czar calls for reduced consumption due to lack of reserve power

By THE STAR STAFF

Energy Czar Josué Colón Ortiz urged the public on Wednesday to reduce electricity consumption between 5 p.m. and 11 p.m., as two units at the Costa Sur power plant in Peñuelas remain out of service.

“Although the expectation is that both Costa Sur #5 and Costa Sur #6 will come online later this afternoon, while these two units remain out of service, the system will lack the necessary reserves to meet today’s peak demand,” Colón Ortiz said in a written statement, noting that reducing consumption during peak demand hours can help minimize the number of customers who might experience service interruptions.

Unit 5 was taken offline in a coordinated manner at 2:15 a.m. so that Genera Puerto Rico and LUMA Energy could repair points of failure identified at the Costa Sur 230-kilovolt transmission center. Its boiler was to remain lit while the work was being completed. The unit would be able to resynchronize with the electrical grid once the two grid operators completed the repairs, Colón Ortiz noted.

Meanwhile, Genera finished work on Unit 6 and began the startup process, with the expectation of connecting it to the grid later in the afternoon.