In response to a recent massive blackout that left nearly all of Puerto Rico's 3.2 million residents without power on New Year's Eve, the new governor has appointed an 'energy czar' to help navigate the U.S. territory out of its power-supply crisis.
The nominee, currently serving as the executive director of Puerto Rico's Electric Power Authority, will oversee Genera PR, responsible for power generation, and Luma Energy, which manages transmission and distribution. Pending approval from lawmakers, the appointee is expected to step down from his current role to assume the new position.
With ongoing outages and investigations into the cause of the recent blackout, calls have been made to reconsider contracts with private power companies. Last year, Puerto Rico experienced a significant increase in the duration and frequency of power interruptions, well above established benchmarks.
As efforts continue to restore power to affected areas, the government is emphasizing the importance of ensuring a reliable power supply for the island. The governor highlighted the need for the release of $18 billion in federal funds earmarked for Puerto Rico's grid, with the energy czar tasked to facilitate the process.
While the federal government has already allocated millions of dollars to support grid stabilization and recovery efforts following Hurricane Maria in 2017, the island's power infrastructure was already vulnerable due to years of neglect and underinvestment prior to the devastating storm.
