U.S. Signs Agreement to Modernize Puerto Rico Power Grid Beginning This Year; Over $12 Billion Available for Project
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on Wednesday joined the Departments of Energy (DOE) and Homeland Security (DHS) and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico to launch a new effort to accelerate work to strengthen the island’s grid resilience and advance new initiatives to enhance Puerto Rico’s energy future.
2022-02-03 12:26:37 - VI News Staff
The efforts to accelerate the island commonwealth's electric grid comes four years after the devastating effects of Hurricane Maria.
According to the HUD release, parties executed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that enhances collaboration among Federal agencies and the Commonwealth, and kickstarts the PR100 Study. The PR100 Study is a community-driven and locally tailored roadmap to help the island meet its target of 100% renewable electricity, improve power sector resiliency and increase access to more affordable energy and cleaner air.
Dozens of grid modernization projects will start construction this year, and Puerto Rico’s utility will sign contracts for at least 2GW of renewable energy and 1GW of energy storage projects, HUD said.
“Since day one of the Biden-Harris Administration, HUD has prioritized the recovery and resilience needs of Puerto Rico and we are pleased to join in this collaboration with our federal partners at DOE, DHS, and FEMA and with the government of Puerto Rico,” said HUD Secretary Marcia L. Fudge. “Together, we will improve the reliability and resilience of Puerto Rico’s electrical system and help the island meet its renewable energy targets in a way that couples shorter-term recovery goals with forward-looking mitigation against natural disasters and the already evident impacts of a changing climate. As this MOU makes clear, the risks of climate change and the unprecedented federal investments provide an opportunity to improve the lives of individuals and communities across the nation through increased resilience and equity.”
“One of my top priorities as Governor of Puerto Rico since I took office has been to ensure that Puerto Rico’s energy transformation moves forward at a steady and reliable pace. I will make sure that every federal fund appropriated to Puerto Rico and allocated for the reconstruction of the power grid is used efficiently and effectively,” said Puerto Rico Governor Pedro Pierluisi.
From emergency restoration to planning for the long-term recovery of Puerto Rico’s energy sector, HUD, DOE, and DHS through FEMA, have been providing hands-on technical assistance to help Puerto Rico plan and prepare to execute over $12 billion in Federal recovery and grid modernization funds, efforts that are delivering concrete change in 2022:
- First FEMA Permanent Work Projects Will Begin Construction - FEMA, the Central Office for Recovery, Reconstruction and Resilience (COR3), the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA), and LUMA Energy have established working groups and collaboration processes to reconstruct the island’s electric grid. It is expected that at least 138 projects will be under construction bidding or have begun initial construction activities, including island-wide substation repairs, the replacement of thousands of streetlights across five municipalities, and the creation of an early warning system to improve dam safety.