SAN JUAN – The Secretary of Energy of the United States (DOE), Jennifer Granholm, announced this Monday along with the Governor of Puerto Rico, Pedro Pierluisi, $453.5 million dollars (about $412 million euros) for solar energy and energy storage, due to its commitment to rebuild a stronger power grid and resistant on the Caribbean island.
“The most important thing is that the population has energy,” Granholm said at a press conference. during the official’s fifth visit to Puerto RicoIt is the third time this year, adding that “the future belongs to clean energy, which will be more resistant and more renewable.”
“It will take time, but in the end you will have the island you deserve, with clean solar energyand that is the most renewable energy that they can have because the sun is not going to go out,” said the head of Energy.
During this three-day visit that began this Monday, Granholm will visit communities in various municipalities, including Salinas, Orocovis, LoízaArecibo and San Juan with the purpose of promoting energy resilience and increasing access to renewable energy for the most vulnerable households in Puerto Rico.
While Raúl Grijalva, ranking member of the US House of Representatives Committee on Natural Resources, said in a statement following the announcement of the appropriated funds that “this funding will not only make a big difference in the lives of the inhabitants of the island.
“A resilient and reliable source of solar power means that when a hurricane strikes, people with ventilators and dialysis machines will be able to stay home, reducing pressure on hospitals and the power grid,” Grijalva said.
For his part, Pierluisi stressed that the main objective of the authorities is to “do climate, energy and environmental justice” to the Caribbean island.
The goal is to impact 40,000 “low-income” households that reside in remote areas of Puerto Rico, or who have a physical disability at home or both,” the president said.
In this context, Pierluisi reported that there are 133 projects to improve the energy system under constructionfor a value of more than $2,500 million dollars.
Besides, In the generation area, the acquisition process of eleven new units stands out whose investment is approximately 600 million dollars.
Besides, 11 renewable energy projects and five industrial storage projects that are part of ‘Tranche 1’which are pending in the Fiscal Supervision and Financial Administration Board (JSAF), include 830 MW of generation and 350 MW for batteries.
Meanwhile, the Puerto Rico Energy Bureau (NEPR) intends to contract an additional 1,000 MW of renewable energy and an additional 500 MW of storage, which belong to ‘Tranche 3’.
About the $1.3 billion Energy Reliability and Resiliency Program (ER-2) of the Development and Economic Revitalization of Post Disaster Communities (CDBG-DR) funds, the governor informed that, soon, a competitive process for grant applications for microgrids and cogeneration projects will be published.
“The support that we have received and continue to receive from the Biden-Harris Administration, led by Secretary Granholm, has been a great help in maximizing the funds that we have available and in ensuring that we continue to accelerate energy transformation projects,” he concluded. the governor.
In 2019, the Puerto Rico Legislature approved the Puerto Rico Energy Public Policy Act (Law 17-2019), in which Puerto Rico committed to meet your energy needs with 100% renewable energy by 2050.
On February 2, 2022, the DOE, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Government of Puerto Rico agreed to accelerate critical infrastructure work and advance new initiatives to strengthen resilience of the island’s electrical grid.
In early October 2022, following the devastating Hurricane Fiona, President Biden visited Puerto Rico and delegated to Granholm to establish and lead the Recovery and Modernization Team of the Puerto Rico Electric Network to channel federal resources and technical assistance to Puerto Rico.
On March 31, after his last visit, Granholm highlighted the progress made regarding the number of projects approved and under construction for the modernization and recovery of Puerto Rico’s vulnerable electrical grid.
Keep reading:
13 key points to understand President Joe Biden’s visit to Puerto Rico two weeks after Hurricane Fiona
Letter to the US Secretary of Energy in which they question spending on trips to Puerto Rico to monitor reconstruction of the electrical network divides Republicans and Democrats
Raúl Grijalva ends visit to Puerto Rico to examine post-hurricane reconstruction; reveals that bill 2757 to resolve status on the island has no chance in the House of Representatives
