In the midst of a heat wave that has gripped Puerto Rico for months, the Department of Education (DE) has not yet determined what measures it will take to help minimize the consequences for students and teachers.
But next Friday, public schools in the country will no longer receive students as part of the agency’s plan to learn teachers’ feelings and devise strategies to deal with the soaring temperatures. In the midst of the discussion about possible measures, which would include the installation of air conditioners and/or fans, the need was raised to study the electrical load capacity of the substations supplying the schools, specifically to see if they would hold air communication in all the rooms of the school.
Along these lines, Representatives Victor Paris and Jose “Chito” Hernandez, along with Senator Juan Oscar Morales, asked the Public Building Authority and the Office of Public School Improvement (OMEP) to conduct a comprehensive study on electricity capacity. Substations serve each of the 856 public schools in Puerto Rico.
Representatives of the New Progressive Party stressed, in a press statement, the necessity of conducting this study as soon as possible to develop a strong program for installing air-conditioning units as a measure against the heat wave.
“The heatwave we are experiencing is historic. It’s not just happening in Puerto Rico. For example, oil refining operations in Louisiana have had to shut down because of the high temperatures. We all want each of the 33,000 classrooms on the island to have their own air conditioning unit It will, and that will happen, but a comprehensive study of the capacity of the substations serving each of the 856 schools must be done to find out what carries these stations. that”.
“There is no doubt that I will work to ensure that each classroom in the schools of my District No. 3 has its own air conditioner. At the same time, there is a need for a detailed study of the capacity of each electrical substation. Today we call on the Public Building Authority and OMEP to start this process as quickly as we need it. Hernandez, a legislator from District 3 of the capital, added: “Through this report, we will know which of these substations should be rehabilitated to provide the required load.”
While Morales, Senator for the San Juan District, highlighted the importance of the aforementioned study.
“We are looking for both agencies to inform us of the capacity of the substations in San Juan to carry the load of new air-conditioning units, which should consume less due to technological advances. In the same way, we want to know which of them are suitable to enter a new distribution and which of them need to be expanded to do the same. At the same time, the study should contain an assessment of the cost of each substation that needs to be rehabilitated and the time it will take for the works, among other things.“This study is needed now,” Morales finally declared.
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