Cathy Kunkel, an energy analyst at the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (I.E.E.F.A.) has co-authored a report on the prospects for rebuilding Puerto Rico's power grid, which was badly damaged in 2017, during Hurricane Maria. Since the reconstruction comes as renewable-energy prices keep falling and the Biden Administration pushes clean tech, it's possible that the island could become a fascinating example of clean development for tropical regions. (Our conversation was edited for length.)
We all remember the fight to get power restored in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria. What's the situation like on the ground right now?
There is certainly much more public interest in rooftop solar and other distributed renewable-energy solutions. And people who are getting rooftop solar systems installed are now much more likely to be pairing those systems with battery storage, so that they can continue to power their homes in the event of an extended blackout.
But, unfortunately, this interest isn't really being supported by policy decisions. The hurricane was used as an excuse by those who have long desired the privatization of the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) to move forward with those plans, in a manner that has prioritized the shortsighted goal of cutting labor costs and eroding workers' rights, not developing renewable energy. PREPA's plan for the use of long-awaited FEMA grid-reconstruction money, which may end up being privately administered, includes over $850 million dollars in new natural-gas plants, and zero dollars for renewable energy and storage.
There's a plan to put a lot of natural-gas power there. From a distance, that seems archaic before it begins. What are the forces fighting for and against it?
There have been efforts to bring natural gas to Puerto Rico for many years, and this push was renewed after Hurricane Maria. Of course, there are private interests that have been pushing this, including New Fortress Energy, a U.S. firm that won a contract, in 2019, to convert one of Puerto Rico's existing power plants to natural gas, and to build a new natural-gas-import terminal in San Juan.
Really good organizing work is being done against these gas developments. Queremos Sol ("We Want Sun") is a coalition of environmental, consumer, and labor organizations advocating for a decentralized renewable-energy future for the island.
And, over the last couple of years, the Puerto Rico Energy Bureau, the energy-regulatory agency in Puerto Rico, conducted a long-term planning process with significant input from civil-society groups and experts. The bureau ultimately concluded that renewable energy was the least-cost path for the island, and ordered PREPA not to move forward with new natural-gas projects. So it is pretty incredible that the authority is still trying to advance these gas projects. And there is a real possibility that PREPA could get its way. So this is a very active fight right now.
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