Governor appears inclined to sign it into law
By The Star Staff
A bill that will allow a coal-fired plant owned by AES to continue operating through 2032 is ready to be sent to La Fortaleza and Gov. Jenniffer González Colón is expected to sign it into law.
The island Senate passed in an 18-9 vote House Bill 267 on Tuesday night, amending the Puerto Rico Energy Public Policy Act and the Energy Diversification Public Policy Act, which call for a ban on coal-fired generation by 2028.
While the initial bill, pushed by the governor’s office, extended the use of coal as an energy source in Puerto Rico until Dec. 31, 2030, the House amended the HB 267 to change the deadline to Dec. 31, 2032. The House passed the legislation on Feb. 27, according to House records.
The legislation was needed because the AES coal-fired power plant in Guayama generates over 450 megawatts (MW) of energy, the equivalent of 20% of Puerto Rico’s energy. Puerto Rico Energy czar Josué Colón Ortiz, who heads the Public-Private Partnership Authority, advocated for an extension until 2035, citing the need for more time to build renewable energy facilities capable of supplying the power currently provided by the company.
AES signed a power purchase and operating agreement (PPOA) for the plant in 1994, but in 2019, the government enacted a law ending coal use for energy by 2028.
The governor appears inclined to sign the bill into law.
“This is an administration bill,” she said in relation to House Bill 267, the measure clearing the way for extending the life of AES.
“Nobody wanted to extend the useful life of coal,” González Colón said Tuesday at a press conference. “The reality is that we do not have enough [electric power] generation in Puerto Rico. [...] When there is a decommissioning of a plant of this magnitude, units are closed before that date. Therefore, a plant is shut down and when 2028 comes it is completely out of operation, and to retool it would take two or three years, to reprogram it in that situation.”
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