US DOE has extended emergency orders to strengthen electrical grid

U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright speaks during the Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor, Md., Feb. 20, 2025. (Eric Lee/The New York Times)

By The Star Staff

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has extended certain emergency orders that seek to strengthen Puerto Rico’s electrical grid.

On May 16 of this year, the DOE issued two emergency orders. The first order authorized the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) to operate specified generation units under certain circumstances for a 90-day period. The second order directed PREPA to perform vegetation control activities to ensure the operational availability of certain transmission lines and reduce the number of vegetation-induced failures.

The orders have empowered Puerto Rico’s government to conduct commonsense fixes to restore the fragile grid and put Puerto Rico on track for sustained energy resilience. Extending the orders will ensure that the critical work can continue throughout the peak summer demand season, according to the DOE.

“A reliable and secure power grid is essential for modern life, and the residents of Puerto Rico deserve solutions now. Thanks to President Trump’s leadership, we are able to take action, moving from years of instability toward measurable, lasting progress,” U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright said. “By extending these orders, DOE is ensuring critical work continues, urgent energy reliability needs are addressed, and the grid is more prepared to withstand the most demanding stretch of hurricane season for the 3.2 million Americans who call Puerto Rico home.”

Gov. Jenniffer González Colón expressed appreciation for the extension of the orders, which she said “have provided needed flexibilities to maintain sufficient power generation capacity and conduct vegetation control activities along critical transmission lines.”

“I look forward to building on this momentum and continuing to partner with President Trump and Secretary Wright as we strengthen Puerto Rico’s electrical system [...],” she added.

Decades of deferred maintenance, insufficient investment, the bankruptcy of the system owner, and devastating hurricanes and earthquakes have significantly deteriorated the island’s electrical grid. As a result, full recovery will take years, the governor noted, but critical work is underway to improve grid reliability and resilience.