By The Star Staff
The New Progressive Party (NPP) minority leader in the island House of Representatives, Carlos “Johnny” Méndez Nuñez, is considering presenting legislation to transfer the oversight of public-private agreements for the generation, as well as transmission and distribution, of electric power, from the Public-Private Partnerships Authority (P3A) to the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA).
“The statements of the current executive director of the public administrations about the lack of oversight of the companies LUMA Energy and Genera Puerto Rico raise many questions and highlight a lack of technical capacity to responsibly and effectively supervise these contracts for the electrical reconstruction that is so vital for Puerto Rico,” Méndez said. “There are examples of effective oversight of a public-private partnership (PPP) such as the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport, the Teodoro Moscoso Bridge and the PR-20 state highway, among others. We need a monitor of efficiency, metrics and transparency for the reconstruction of the electricity system.”
“We understand that PREPA has experts in the three parts of the electric grid (generation, transmission and distribution) to establish compliance metrics according to the service contracts signed with LUMA Energy and Genera Puerto Rico,” he added. “Similarly, it has a legal division with experience in energy matters that will allow a thorough investigation of the contract to be carried out, as well as field technical personnel to carry out periodic inspections of electricity generating plants, as well as towers, substations and transmission and distribution lines.”
The island’s power system, one of the oldest in the world, was devastated by the impact of hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017.
In an interview, P3A Executive Director Fermín Fontanés Gómez said “there have been some faults and failures in the operation of LUMA,” in reference to the operation of the transmission and distribution network.
“Oversight is essential for the operation of any contract of this magnitude,” Méndez said. “We cannot allow things to continue as they are. That is why we will be evaluating legislation for these purposes expeditiously. We will also discuss the matter with the executive director of PREPA, Josué Colón, to discuss this proposal, as well as the details to execute it within the governmental framework that we are in. What is happening, the constant and prolonged interruptions, cannot continue.”
NPP House of Representatives, Carlos “Johnny” Méndez Nuñez, talks about the debacle that LUMA and Genera's contracts resulted to be, as if he didn't have anything to do with it. Shall we remind him that the NPP/PDP had been the only 2 political parties in power for the last 76 years? What's in Mr. Méndez Nuñez mind when he, suddenly, criticized these contracts? Is he saying that he wasn't aware of what was going on with LUMA and Genera until last Wednesday?
He goes on and declares that the old and replaced PREPA "has experts in the three parts of the electric grid (generation, transmission and distribution) to establish compliance metrics according to the service contracts signed with LUMA Energy…