By The Star Staff
Two New Progressive Party (NPP) legislators filed a joint resolution ordering the Puerto Rico Energy Bureau to eliminate the $300 charge billed to over 35,000 subscribers connected to photovoltaic energy systems.
The money was collected for a supplementary energy capacity study.
NPP Rep. Carlos “Johnny” Méndez Nuñez and District 4 (San Juan) Rep. Víctor Parés Oterto filed the resolution.
“This is an excessive and unnecessary charge given the new reality in Puerto Rico related to the increase in the installation of these photovoltaic systems, and contrary to promoting the public policy declared in Law 17-2019, better known as the Puerto Rico Energy Public Policy Law, which establishes the goal of achieving 40 percent of the energy produced in Puerto Rico by 2025,” the lawmakers commented in the bill. “Puerto Rico is [transitioning to] renewable [energy], and by 2050 it will completely abandon the use of oil and coal.”
On Feb. 6, 2017, Regulation No. 8915 on Interconnection of the Distribution System of the Electric Power Authority (PREPA) and Participation in Net Metering Programs went into force. It details the processes for connecting renewable energy systems to the distribution network.
Subsection (3) of Article B (Review Through Supplementary Study and Expedited Process) in Regulation No. 8915 establishes that “Table 2 presents a guide to the costs for supplementary studies ($300.00), according to the capacity of the DG (distributed generation).” The reason for the study, according to the regulation, is to determine “if it is necessary to make improvements to the Authority’s electrical distribution system or changes to the DG design, to achieve a safe and reliable interconnection of the DG.”