PDP denounces apparent irregularities at Education Dept. in use of net metering funds

The Popular Democratic Party delegation in the Senate demanded explanations regarding the use of more than $8 million remitted to the island Education Department via the Net Metering Program during the past four fiscal years.

By THE STAR STAFF

The Popular Democratic Party (PDP) delegation in the island Senate on Monday denounced alleged irregularities in the management of funds received by the Department of Education (DE) from the Net Metering Program, and demanded explanations for the use of more than $8 million remitted to that agency during the past four fiscal years.

“LUMA informed the Senate that during fiscal year 2022, $1,291,876 was remitted to the Department of Education for the 25 percent corresponding to the Net Metering Program. However, the Department itself says it first received funds under this concept in 2023,” PDP Minority Leader Sen. Luis Javier Hernández Ortiz said in a written statement. “We don’t know where that million dollars went.”

The senator added that, according to official information provided by LUMA, the DEhas received a total of $8,093,433 for net metering, but has only used $2.6 million corresponding to fiscal year 2023.

“Nothing is revealed in the communications sent to the Senate regarding the use of the 2024 and 2025 funds,” Hernández Ortiz stated.

Sen. Ada Álvarez Conde added that the money given to the DE is supposed to be distributed between credits for public schools’ electricity bills and compensation to customers who feed energy back into the system.

“During the past four fiscal years, Education received $8.7 million, of which $3.6 million corresponds to 2025, according to LUMA data,” she said.

Sen. Josian Santiago Rivera pointed out that the PDP delegation identified that the 2023 funds were distributed among nine schools, but only one institution received $2.5 million.

“We want to know what the criteria for these allocations were, what guidelines were used, and why one school in particular received 96 percent of the funds sent to Education in that fiscal year,” he said.

The lawmakers announced that they will introduce legislation to establish stricter controls and ensure the proper use of funds from the Net Metering Program, which seeks to promote renewable energy generation through the interconnection of residential, commercial and industrial solar systems.