The storage: Pattern Energy subsidiary Amanecer Puerto Rico will use these funds to deploy 220 MW of battery storage, providing backup power for over 100K customers during shortages. The batteries will help avoid roughly 13M customer interruption hours, according to the DOE. The loan will also pave a “pathway for the future development” of dispatchable gas generation, the agency said.
The savings: This funding is projected to save Puerto Rican households and businesses around $300M in electricity costs over the next 25 years. This relief arrives as ongoing grid disruptions hit customers’ wallets: A one-day, territory-wide interruption is estimated to cost customers $1B.
Zooming out: Puerto Rico residents pay 2X more for electricity than mainland US customers, and the grid still hasn’t fully recovered from Hurricane Maria in 2017. Meanwhile, federal relief efforts have been lacking. As of early July, Puerto Rico was waiting on $10B in undistributed federal assistance for its ailing grid.
Molly Glick
Energy Central Team
Wed, Aug 5
NEWS: The DOE is loaning nearly $500M to bolster Puerto Rico’s grid.
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