Plans Emerge to Rebuild Puerto Rico's Electric Grid

Plans to modernize Puerto Rico’s power grid likely will include an array of fixes such as stronger electric poles, microgrids, and more renewable energy.  The plan, expected to be released later this month, will also focus on reducing the island’s reliance on transmission lines that cross its mountainous interior.  These proved to be a weak link when Hurricane Maria struck in September.

Puerto Rico’s electric power authority, PREPA, is writing the plan along with the New York Power Authority (NYPA), the Long Island Power Authority, ConEd, Edison International, the Electric Power Research Institute, and the Smart Electric Power Alliance.

The plan will offer details based on a request made by Gov. Ricardo Rosselló in November for $94 billion in federal aid to rebuild the island.  Around $17 billion of that would be earmarked for the electric power system, which was largely destroyed by the storm.

The plan is modeled on work under way on Long Island, New York, that had to be done in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, says Gil Quiniones, NYPA president and CEO.  Sandy hit Long Island and the Northeast in 2012, causing widespread damage to the power system.  Work to rebuild and harden that system is expected to be completed in 2020.  Quiniones says that rebuilding Puerto Rico’s grid could take a decade.

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