PREPA seeks Energy Bureau approval for amended EcoEléctrica battery storage agreement
By THE STAR STAFF
The Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) has asked the Puerto Rico Energy Bureau (PREB) to approve an amended agreement with EcoEléctrica for a battery energy storage project in Peñuelas but called for the revised contract to remain confidential until regulators complete their review.
In a motion filed recently, PREPA requested approval of a proposed First Amended and Restated Standard Offer Agreement with EcoEléctrica BESS LLC under LUMA Energy’s Accelerated Storage Addition Program (ASAP), an initiative aimed at rapidly adding battery storage capacity to Puerto Rico’s electrical system.
The proposed agreement covers a 20-megawatt (MW), four-hour battery energy storage system to be located at EcoEléctrica’s facility in Peñuelas. PREPA’s governing board approved the amended agreement through Resolution 5266 on Sept. 25 and authorized its submission to both the PREB and the Financial Oversight and Management Board for review.
According to PREPA, the amended agreement incorporates updated provisions on insurance requirements, tariff pass-through procedures, an interconnection-related condition precedent, clarification of the tested storage capability provisions, and price parity terms tied to another PREB-approved ASAP agreement. The utility said the revisions do not alter the project’s existing storage capability payment price, its 20 MW design capacity, the 20-year supply period, bonus provisions for early commercial operation, liability requirements, or PREPA’s budget estimate for the project.
The filing traces the project through more than two years of regulatory review. The PREB first approved the ASAP concept in May 2024 after determining it was consistent with Puerto Rico’s public energy policy and integrated resource plan. A final standard offer agreement with EcoEléctrica was approved by regulators in January 2025 and later revised following additional review by the oversight board. PREPA and EcoEléctrica eventually executed that agreement on April 7 of this year.
The latest amendment stems from a Sept. 10 request submitted by LUMA Energy, acting as system operator, seeking approval of an amended and restated version of the agreement.
In seeking confidential treatment for the proposed amended contract while regulatory approvals remain pending, PREPA argued that the document is predecisional and part of an ongoing governmental deliberative process because it has not yet been approved by either the PREB or the oversight board. Public disclosure before those reviews are completed could interfere with the evaluation process, PREPA said.
