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Energy shortages are expected to persist until 2025, and customers should prepare for potential power outages, as indicated by the annual Energy Resource Sufficiency Report presented to the Puerto Rico Energy Bureau by LUMA Energy.
The report outlines significant obstacles affecting the reliability of Puerto Rico’s electrical infrastructure due to unreliable generation sources. Although LUMA does not hold, control, or operate any generation plants in Puerto Rico, the company noted that as the operator of the transmission and distribution network, its energy specialists perform an annual evaluation of the stability, reliability, and resilience of the island’s generation capacity and its capability to meet energy needs.
“Without dependable generation, there is no dependable energy in Puerto Rico,” stated LUMA President & CEO Juan Saca. “Similar to the transmission and distribution infrastructure, the island’s generation facilities have faced years of neglect. This has led to a considerable shortfall in energy generation, resulting in service interruptions for customers. Our Energy Resource Sufficiency Report serves as a crucial instrument for analyzing and evaluating the current condition of the generation system. It also helps us assess the effects on service reliability and outline the steps needed to deliver more dependable electric service to the residents of Puerto Rico on a daily basis.”
According to the 2024 report, LUMA analysts predict that customers may face as much as 154 hours of service interruptions related to generation, or load shedding, over approximately 36 days from July 2024 to June 2025 due to inadequate generation capacity. In contrast, between July 2023 and June 2024, customers endured a total of 33 load-shedding incidents caused by insufficient generation, leading to 78 hours of service interruptions.
Generation plants in Puerto Rico are managed by Genera PR, independent power producers (IPPs), and the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA). While IPP-operated facilities generally have higher availability, PREPA plants, which account for 76.5% of the reliable thermal power capacity in Puerto Rico, continue to be plagued by a history of neglect. This adversely affects the energy supply and system reliability, the company stated.
On average, only 53% of total generation is anticipated to be available, as numerous power plants remain offline due to various reasons. These include scheduled maintenance interruptions and unscheduled downtime from equipment failures or damage. The report also indicated that most generation facilities in Puerto Rico are significantly less reliable than power plants situated in other regions globally, a consequence of a legacy of insufficient maintenance. Because of this, they are rarely operational during periods of high energy demand. Some generation units have deteriorated to such an extent due to age and neglect that they can only deliver a fraction of their available capacity.
