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Orlando, Florida. – Citizen Commissioner in Washington, Jennifer González, today gave more impetus to the wave of criticism against LUMA Energy, urging the government of Pedro Pierluisi to promote the cancellation of the contract of the company responsible for system transmission and distribution. of the electrical system.
Commissioner González said Justice Secretary Domingo Emanueli, the Energy Bureau and the Public-Private Partnership Commission should begin an analysis to cancel the contract and that the Financial Supervisory Board (JSF) does not want to involve the government. Puerto Rico has an agreement that “does not serve the people or infrastructure.”
He said his advisers are exploring alternatives to promoting cancellation of the island’s executive-issued contract, and he will contact members of Congress on the Natural Resources Committee’s agenda. A public inquiry into the functioning of the electricity network and plans for its rehabilitation.
González pointed out that blackouts and problems with energy supply “have become our daily bread in Puerto Rico” and that more than a year after managing the transmission and distribution system, the situation has worsened.
“(Luma) is not effective in keeping citizens with a good electricity system… No government or customer should be forced to provide poor service. And if the deal made is for the better, it cannot get worse. We’re still in hurricane season…and we can’t pretend that we have a company that doesn’t know how to handle disruption,” Gonzalez said in a broadcast on Facebook.
Commissioner González noted that now is the time to act, as some believe that the interim agreement with LUMA expired on November 30, giving them additional reasons to cancel it. However, the motivations behind this interim agreement are linked to PREPA’s restructuring process, which has not yet concluded.
According to the agreement, LUMA has the prerogative to withdraw from operating the electricity network if the debt restructuring process is not completed. If LUMA decides to pursue the deal, which it has previously said it will, the 15-year agreement with the Puerto Rican government will take effect in December.
Last night, Puerto Rican Democratic Congresswoman Nidia Velasquez (New York) confirmed that Luma had been “given many opportunities to do the right thing.” “The people of Puerto Rico are suffering and the Board must stop defending this failed privatization. Enough is enough LUMA Energy,” Velasquez said on Twitter.
This week, for the first time, Governor Pedro Pierluisi expressed his displeasure with the company’s operations, amid new blackouts and fires at electrical substations. Pierluisi appointed Francisco Berríos Portela as Assistant Secretary of the Government for Energy Affairs.
Commissioner González said he had pressured LUMA “from day one,” but appreciated that Governor Pierluisi was now expressing dissatisfaction with the company’s work.
He saw as a positive step the appointment of an undersecretary of the interior in La Fortaleza to address the energy problem.
Even though she is on her honeymoon, Gonzalez said she is keeping an eye on what’s happening on the island after getting married on Aug. 6. In her opinion, the constant interruptions in power service make Puerto Rico “like a third.” world”.
For González, examples of LUMA’s poor performance include the time it takes to make repairs, problems with cutting down trees that can interfere with power lines, and staff shortages.
Gonzalez’s revelations coincided with the opening of the New Progressive Party (PNP) convention, in which he was absent due to his honeymoon, and at a time when he was perceived to be considering challenging Governor Pierluzzi as a gubernatorial candidate. . Gonzalez reportedly warned the PNP not to attend the event.
While there are many who criticize LUMA’s performance and lack of government oversight, González’s criticism of the electricity service has fueled rumors that he plans to run for governor starting in 2021.
Facing criticism, LUMA Energy President Wayne Stensby said Thursday that the Electric Power Authority “and others failed to acknowledge the past and took the opportunity to blame Luma in the press.”
“Defects are not fixed in a year. It is a system, an interconnected system. It’s not an excuse, it’s a simple fact… If I have one plea to Preba and others, it’s that it’s time to work together. We will be honest about the limitations we face and we will continue to work to address them,” Stensby added.
Governor Pierluisi expressed Thursday, “It is clear that (LUMA) needs to make changes to its action plan to significantly improve the service it provides to our people.”
For its part, the Puerto Rico Energy Bureau warned Thursday Outage metrics reflect that service has not been upgraded since then LUMA Energy By June 2021, the country’s energy transmission and distribution system is assumed to be operational.
“The very best results on power system reliability indicate no improvement in the duration of service interruptions. In terms of generation, PREPA’s total cost of producing energy is higher than historical measurements”, highlighted the bureau responsible for overseeing the energy system on the island.
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