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The Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) has signed a contract worth $47 million with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) that encompasses engineering, construction and management services for PREPA’s water asset projects.
The contract, which was approved by the Financial Oversight and Management Board last week, includes several key projects: the seismic retrofit of the Patillas Dam, maintenance of 28 hydroelectric units, and work on Río Blanco, Toro Negro, Guayabal Dam, and the Caonillas plant in Utuado. Additionally, it covers three district irrigation canals and the dredging of 11 reservoirs.
USACE will provide technical and management support, which includes organizing project meetings with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and other stakeholders, developing environmental compliance documentation, ensuring projects align with the Permanent Repairs and Mitigation Work policies, assisting in contract documentation, managing existing task orders, and coordinating with PREPA on all projects identified in the 10-year plan related to permanent repairs of the hydroelectric system and water infrastructure.
Funding for the contract will come from FEMA funds, as well as funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Puerto Rico Department of Housing. The Financial Oversight and Management Board has instructed PREPA to ensure that its budgets cover all costs associated with the proposed contract.
Simultaneously, PREPA has submitted an application to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to renew the operational license for the Río Blanco Hydroelectric Project, located on the southern border of the El Yunque National Forest in the Municipality of Naguabo, near the community of Florida. The project occupies 2.2 acres of U.S. land administered by the U.S. Forest Service.
With the application, PREPA has begun informal consultations with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries, and the Puerto Rico state historic preservation officer.
