By The Star Staff
Energy czar Josué Colón Ortiz acknowledged on Monday that Puerto Rico is at risk of experiencing blackouts this summer due to the lack of operational power generation units.
“This puts the electrical system in a vulnerable situation,” Colón stated during a radio interview. “We are trying to address this issue in other ways, but we are obviously working on it. The likelihood of load shifting this summer, given the current condition of the generating units and the breakdowns experienced by Genera, places the energy production system in a highly vulnerable state.”
Genera PR is the private operator of the island’s legacy power plants.
Colón specifically pointed out issues with Unit 1 of the Aguirre Central plant in Salinas, which will not be available for the remainder of the year following the conclusion of an inspection after a breakdown.
“This means that even if all the units currently undergoing repairs, such as San Juan 6, San Juan 7, Costa Sur Unit 5, and Palo Seco Unit 4, become operational, we will still face challenges,” he said. “One of the Aguirre units, which may potentially be repaired quickly after an upcoming inspection offshore in the manufacturer’s workshops, will not be ready for summer. Its availability might be delayed even further.”
Colón also confirmed that he and Gov. Jenniffer González Colón have sent notifications of noncompliance to both LUMA Energy, the transmission and distribution system operator, and Genera PR.
Colón said they are the first breach notifications sent to the companies, as none were issued during the time in which Fermín Fontanés Gómez directed the Public-Private Partnerships Authority, now helmed by Colón.a
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