Resident commissioner calls for the release of energy funds
By THE STAR STAFF
Resident Commissioner Pablo José Hernández Rivera is calling on the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to immediately accelerate the release of roughly $1.7 billion in federal funds earmarked for the island’s electrical grid recovery, warning that prolonged delays are undermining dozens of generation projects and prolonging the island’s energy instability.
In a letter sent Monday to HUD Secretary Scott Turner, Hernández Rivera cited new findings from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) showing that 74% of HUD’s obligated funds for Puerto Rico’s grid -- allocated since 2017 -- remain undistributed. The GAO attributed the bottleneck to staffing turnover, hiring freezes that slowed project reviews, complex financing structures, and uncertainty surrounding the entities responsible for grid reconstruction.
There are reportedly some 50 generation projects stalled by financial, bureaucratic and technical obstacles.
“Puerto Rico has faced a persistent energy crisis since 2017. We cannot remain frozen in time,” Hernández Rivera said. “If we have money available and projects that have spent years confronting obstacles, the government has a responsibility to explain what is preventing the work from getting done.”
Nearly nine years after Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico’s electrical system remains critically fragile. Hernández Rivera noted that the island experienced a 33% energy deficit in 2025, while consumers endured an average of 27 hours of outages per year between 2021 and 2024. In 2024 alone, interruptions surged to more than 73 hours.
Hernández asked HUD to detail the specific steps it is taking to expedite the release of the remaining funds, provide a timeline for completing the process, outline its response to the GAO’s findings, and explain how it will ensure that obligated funds are protected from rescission or reallocation.
“The people of Puerto Rico cannot wait another decade,” the resident commissioner said. “Every year a project remains stuck is another year in which families, businesses, and hospitals continue relying on a vulnerable and unstable grid. We have to prioritize the basics: reliable power and an energy infrastructure that works.”
He added that he will continue pressing federal agencies to ensure that resources allocated to Puerto Rico translate into concrete projects and greater stability for the island’s energy grid.
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