By The Star Staff
Gov. Pedro Pierluisi Urrutia said Wednesday that electrical interruptions have fallen by 35 percent compared to the previous year.
“This year, if we compare it to last year, there has been a 35 percent drop in interruptions,” the governor said in response to questions from the press. “They have goals; what we want is improvement and we are going to supervise both LUMA and Genera PR.”
“They have a personnel recruitment program. They have an academy to train those who want to be guards,” Pierluisi said when asked about the concern over fallen poles and lack of employees. “The important thing is to continue reducing interruptions. If there are interruptions it should be for repairs, not for other reasons.”
When asked about generation, the governor pointed to assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
“It is giving us 350 additional megawatts with generators in Palo Seco and San Juan,” Pierluisi said. “The interruptions come either from the network or from generation; we have to be punctual [with FEMA].”
Meanwhile, the governor said he anticipates an increase in the production from solar farms by 2025.
“Contracts were signed for eight new solar farms,” he said. “We expect contracts for four other farms before the end of November.”
The contracts require that the solar farms generate energy in less than 24 months.
“The Puerto Rico Energy Bureau is evaluating proposals to award contracts for more solar farms,” Pierluisi added. “I hope they exceed 1,500 megawatts of new solar generation.”
The governor also noted the expected contracting of industrial-scale battery systems that provide over 500 megawatts of energy storage capacity before the end of the year. The batteries are crucial to ensuring the reliability of the electrical system.
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