The head of LUMA Energy did not respond much to the legislative view examining the agreement between PREPA

Wayne Stensby, chairman and CEO of Luma Energy, this Sunday declined to answer a number of questions from delegates during a public hearing before the Economic Development Authority as part of an investigation into a deal between the Electricity Authority (PREPA) and LUMA. Energy says it represents a private company and does not have to provide the information they request.

Luis Raல்l Torres Cruz, deputy chairman of the Economic Development Authority, rejected Stensby’s claim; Two legislators elected by the Popular Democratic Party (PPD), the Speaker of the House of Representatives Rafael Hernandez Montessori; Puerto Rican Freedom Party (PIP) spokeswoman Denise Marquez and Victoria Ciudadana movement (MVC) spokeswoman Mariana Nogales said the Luma Energy deal to run Priba’s transmission and distribution system would be funded by public funds and therefore the legislature would have the power to rule on the matter.

Representatives of the New Progressive Party (BNP) and the Dignity Project (PD), which are part of the Economic Development Authority, apologized at this Sunday’s hearing, which lasted more than six hours.

The public hearing was consistent with what the legislators heard and what Stensby responded to because of the problems with the sounds and asking for translations from English to Spanish.

Paid with public funds

“The deal with Luma Energy is being paid for with public funds,” Torres Cruz said on several occasions during the investigation, and clashed with Stensby over information about the owners of Luma Energy, Quanta and Adco.

Quanta and ATCO each hold a 50 percent stake in Luma, which was selected to operate and maintain PREPA for 15 years until June 1, 2021, in an agreement approved by the Board of Directors of PREPA within one hour.

At trial, Stensby denied even members of the Lenma Energy Board of Directors. “I’m not going to answer that question,” Stensby said on several occasions to different questions from delegates.

Other questions Stensby refused to answer were his wife’s name, how much he was paid for his last job, how much he would be paid as head of Luma Energy, who appointed him to the post, and they said they were partners. Quanta and ATCO.

Stensby said the money to pay the salaries came from Luma Energy, but that it was never accepted that they were public funds, said Delegate Torres Cruz.

Stensby confirmed that he is a partner of ATCO. He said he did not remember when he was appointed head of the Luma and did not respond to the name of who or who was appointed to the post.

Luma Energy was incorporated on January 17, 2020, but the investigation revealed that at least since January 15, Stensby had represented it at a meeting.

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“There is no doubt that the contract transaction between PREPA and LUMA Energy is rife with irregularities. Our call to action is to take action, but not to ignore this transaction, “said Hernandez Montazes, chairman of the Chamber.

“The discussion in recent weeks has been that this is an agreement between a company and a party of irresponsible persons of the Puerto Rico government that participated in this Lyon agreement,” Marquez said.

A spokesman for the PIP Room said that “they did not respond to anything at the presentation” presented by the Luma Energy chairman before the Economic Development Commission.

Although PREPA’s assets have not been privatized, Marquez said he was not sure how many employees would have been hired or how much they would have been paid at this point “if they had been handed over to a private company”.

For his part, Stensby said those who hold the same seats will not be paid less.

However, Marquez said the deal with Luma Energy indicates that the collective agreements have been terminated and that PREPA is not obliged to hire employees, but only for interviews.

“This deal is Lyonine. It offers special tax treatment for Luma Energy, ”said a PIP representative.

Marquez condemned the mismanagement of PREPA by government administrations, but also noted how “thousands of employees have faced Puerto Rico during emergencies.” “It was the electricity company that got the country excited. It provides service everywhere.”

Deadline for submission of documents

Lorra gave Torres Cruise two calendar days to provide various information to the Economic Development Authority, including minutes of energy meetings, copies of written and electronic communications between him and government officials, and warned that he did not comply with the requirements. , He will ask the Chamber to authorize him to go to court to claim.

Wherever you worked for Quanta, Atco or Luma you were given five days to issue a criminal registration certificate.

On the other hand, Torres Cruz asked Stensby if he knew former Governor Ricardo Rochelle, to which the Luma’s leader said “no”. He later said he did not remember whether he met Rochelle.

He confirmed that he had met the current governor, Pierre Lucie, twice this year and that he and all the governor candidates had met before the election. He also confirmed that he met Jose Artis when he was the director of PREPA.

As for the contract fee, the same Luma will receive a fixed fee of $ 105 million for its services, as of the second year.