By The Star Staff
State Elections Commission (SEC) Interim Chairwoman Jessika Padilla Rivera underscored the significance of the meeting held on Monday with LUMA Energy officials with the purpose of ensuring uninterrupted electrical service during the crucial primary elections this Sunday, June 2.
Meanwhile, LUMA asked the Puerto Rico Energy Bureau for more money in its budget amid complaints about the instability in the energy service.
“We have already notified all the voting centers to be used on June 2 to avoid any type of maintenance in the area that suspends the electricity service,” Padilla noted. “If that were the case, if there was no electricity service, LUMA would already have technicians assigned to the areas to restore the electricity service immediately.”
Padilla reiterated the SEC’s preparedness for the first electoral event of 2024, assuring that the final details are being worked out with the New Progressive Party and the Popular Democratic Party.
“Each of the commissioners is currently working hard with what is the early vote, so yes, we believe that everything is ready for next Sunday, June 2,” she stated.
Meanwhile, LUMA Energy submitted to the Energy Bureau a budget for the 2024-2025 fiscal year that shows increases in the level of operational expenses related to the transmission and distribution lines – which are managed by the consortium – along with reductions in the items allocated to the operation of the energy generation components.
In the motion that LUMA delivered last Friday, the company stressed that the $692 million budget that would be under its control aligns with the distribution endorsed by the Public-Private Partnerships Authority (P3A). In comparison, the $319 million requested by Genera PR, the private operator of the thermoelectric generation fleet, exceeded what was provided by the P3A by $18 million.