From The Star Team
On Wednesday, the energy company EcoEléctrica, located in Peñuelas, declared that it had initiated the commissioning procedures for unit CT No. 1 after finishing maintenance and receiving the go-ahead from the Puerto Rico Energy Control Center.
However, at approximately 9:23 a.m., the connection with the transmission grid through the 230-kilovolt line 51100 ceased functioning due to the triggering of a protective mechanism.
This disruption led to the shutdown of CT No. 2 and the STG units, which had been operating normally until that point. The firm stated it is collaborating with the island’s electrical system team to investigate the issue, pinpoint the reasons, and implement the necessary corrective actions to bring EcoEléctrica’s generating units back online as swiftly as possible.
“We will update you on the restoration efforts in a timely manner,” EcoEléctrica noted in a statement via their social media channels.
In the meantime, Applied Energy Systems, also known as AES, in Guayama was out of operation for its unit 2 for reasons that were yet to be clarified by press time on Wednesday.
Adding to the situation are units 1 and 2 at Aguirre Central in Salinas. Despite Iván Báez, the representative for legacy plant operator Genera PR, stating that unit 2 would be back in operation in October, it was reported that unit 1’s disconnection was due to feed pump repairs, with expectations that it could resume operations this weekend.
As per the Genera PR website, the available generation at 2:42 p.m. on Wednesday was around 2,598 megawatts. It was later announced that load shifts would commence early due to insufficient generation, leaving nearly 100,000 customers of LUMA Energy without service.
