SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) 鈥� Puerto Rico Gov. Jenniffer Gonz谩lez pledged Thursday during her annual address to boost the amount of electric energy available to power the as chronic outages persist, angering and frustrating many across the island.
She said a bidding process to install 3,000 megawatts of additional power generation capacity is underway and will likely be awarded by late summer. In addition, she announced that nearly 1,000 megawatts will be added to the system in upcoming months as crews work to repair and modernize various power plants.
Gonz谩lez noted that 100 megawatts provide sufficient energy for 60,000 families.
鈥淲ith more megawatts in the system, we can reduce outages,鈥� she said.
decimated Puerto Rico鈥檚 power grid when it hit the island as a Category 4 storm in September 2017, but the grid was already crumbling given a lack of maintenance and investment.
Gonz谩lez said crews also have started installing Tesla batteries thanks to more than $700 million in federal funds, adding that they are expected to reduce power outages since they have 430 megawatts of storage capacity.
In addition, 244 megawatts of power plants that will run during high demand have arrived, she said.
Gonz谩lez has faced heavy criticism for backing a move by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump originally meant to finance rooftop solar and battery systems for 12,000 low-income families in Puerto Rico that are now being invested in the island鈥檚 crumbling power grid.
Gonz谩lez also said she would continue to push for the conversion of power plants to natural gas.
鈥淚 want to reduce the cost of power in Puerto Rico,鈥� she said.
In 2024, the island鈥檚 average electricity price was ranked fifth highest, just behind Hawaii, California, Connecticut and Rhode Island, according to the U.S. Energy Administration Information.
The governor also reiterated her promise , a private company overseeing the transmission and distribution of power in Puerto Rico that has been widely criticized as outages persist.
Luma said in a statement that 鈥渢he improvements to the transmission and distribution network are evident.鈥�
It added: 鈥淎s long as the outstanding funds remain available, the reconstruction and modernization work across the island will continue.鈥�
Meanwhile, Puerto Rico’s Electric Power Authority is still more than $9 billion in debt.
Gonz谩lez also acknowledged 鈥渟erious problems鈥� with the island鈥檚 water infrastructure, with a growing number of communities reporting long stretches with no service.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 intend to console anyone,鈥� she said as she asked for patience, noting that reconstruction efforts are underway.
Following the nearly two-hour address, the governor, a member of the pro-statehood New Progressive Party, faced criticism from political opponents.
Pablo Jos茅 Hern谩ndez, Puerto Rico’s representative in Congress and a member of the Popular Democratic Party, posted a video message after the address asserting that Puerto Ricans are not alone, 鈥渢hat your feelings of frustration, dissatisfaction, and anger are justified.鈥�
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