SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Two private power companies came under scrutiny Wednesday while they presented plans to stabilize Puerto Rico’s crumbling electric grid as officials demanded immediate action to minimize chronic power outages.
The presentations by Genera PR, which operates the generation of power in the U.S. territory, and Luma Energy, which handles transmission and distribution, lasted more than five hours as they answered questions by Puerto Rico’s Energy Bureau and others.
The bureau had ordered both companies in June to produce “aggressive” plans to improve the island’s electric system, which was razed by Hurricane Maria in 2017 but was already failing prior to the Category 4 storm given a lack of maintenance and investment under Puerto Rico’s Electric Power Authority.
“We continue to see a high rate of critical failures,” said Daniel Haughton, Luma’s planning director.
The ongoing outages come as crews make permanent repairs to the grid following Hurricane Maria, which caused an estimated $9.7 billion in damage to the system’s transmission and distribution.
Hurricane Fiona also battered the grid in 2022, sparking an island-wide blackout, and Tropical Storm Ernesto caused further damage in mid-August.
“We need to get it done soonest,” Jorge Camacho, engineer and advisor to Puerto Rico’s Energy Bureau, said of the improvement plan. “What is the delay?”
Luma says it has taken steps to improve the grid including replacing more than 17,000 utility poles and clearing vegetation from more than 4,800 miles (7,700 kilometers) of power lines and other infrastructure.
In addition, 144 projects out of 460 submitted to the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency, which is helping fund the grid reconstruction, are under construction.
Meanwhile, eight transformers in transmission centers are currently out of service, with only two financed by FEMA.
“We need additional funding,” said Julio Aguilar, Luma’s director of reliability and distribution automation.
The company said it would prioritize large substation and transmission projects in the next two years, as well as launch preventive transmission maintenance. Eight major substation projects have all been obligated by FEMA, while three of four transmission line projects are awaiting that status.
Luma said it also plans to inspect 51 line segments in fiscal year 2025 that are to blame for roughly three-fourths of transmission-related power interruptions. It also would clear vegetation from 16,000 miles (25,700 kilometers) worth of powerlines in the next four years.
The company said it also would install more battery energy storage systems as well as replace 1.5 million meters with smart ones in a span of roughly three years so officials know when and where power is lost.
Meanwhile, Genera PR pledged to reduce forced outages by half, as well as restore 800 megawatts of capacity by November following repairs. The company noted that a main power station in southern Puerto Rico is expected to come online this weekend, which would boost generation. Another one is expected to do the same in late October.
However, the company noted that one unit has been out of service since 2016, when it was being run by Puerto Rico’s power company.
Genera PR suggested during Wednesday’s meeting that the energy bureau start a process to lease additional temporary generation.
The ongoing outages have led to demands that the government cancel the contracts awarded to Luma and Genera PR, with some gubernatorial candidates pledging to do so if they win this year’s general election.
FILE - Las Palmas Cafe employees work with power from a generator during an island-wide blackout in San Juan, Puerto Rico, April 7, 2022. (AP Photo/Carlos Giusti, File)
GALLE, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lanka has rewarded Kamindu Mendis for his profitable tour of England by moving him up the batting order for the two-test series against New Zealand starting on Wednesday in Galle.
Mendis reaped a century and two half-centuries from his fourth, fifth and sixth career tests over the past month in England, where he was Sri Lanka's player of the series lost 2-1. In his brief test career, he has three hundreds and four fifties.
It was time to move him from No. 7 to No. 5 in the lineup, Sri Lanka coach Sanath Jayasuriya said on Tuesday.
“There was lot of discussion that Kamindu has to move up the order when we were in England. Too often he was batting with the tail and we felt that we need to make the best use of him,” Jayasuriya said.
Former captain Dinesh Chandimal, who occupied the No. 5 slot, has been moved to No. 3 and stripped of wicketkeeping duty. Kusal Mendis, no relation to Kamindu, will keep wickets and bat at No. 7.
Sri Lanka is expected to make two more changes from the side that beat England in the third test last week at the Oval. Seam bowlers Vishwa Fernando and Milan Ratnayake are expected to make way for spinners Prabath Jayasuriya and Ramesh Mendis.
“Our fast bowlers have done well, but it's horses for courses and we have to back spin in Galle,” Jayasuriya said.
Spin-friendly Galle favors the home team, but New Zealand has done well in these contests. Sri Lanka last won a series against the Black Caps in 2009. The last two series in Sri Lanka in 2012 and 2019 ended 1-1.
New Zealand has retired Sri Lanka great Rangana Herath on its staff to help its spinners, but the weather might be a bigger influence. The forecast across the test is not good.
The visitors will be used to that. Rain and a soggy outfield washed out all five days of New Zealand's scheduled one-off test against Afghanistan last week in Greater Noida, India. That was also to be New Zealand's warmup for this series.
“Disappointing, no doubt, but we cannot control the weather,” New Zealand captain Tim Southee said. “It would have been nice to have a test match against an ever improving side. However, we have had some good training and have spent time together both in India and in Galle.”
While New Zealand hasn't played a test since March, it won't be cold for long.
“Eight test matches between now and December is lot of cricket. We are excited," Southee said. "We are ranked three in the World Test Championship and it’s an opportunity for us to get some points and move forward.”
He has another personal milestone in sight, too. Southee needs 20 more wickets to become the second New Zealander to take 400 in tests after Richard Hadlee's 431.
“I have played for a long time and when you do that you come closer to these milestones,” said Southee, who has 100 caps. “We have a lot of tours ahead. Especially in this part of the world. Every game you are going out to do your role and take wickets for the side. It will be nice if I can achieve those milestones. But the focus is on winning games.”
Lineups:
Sri Lanka squad: Dhananjaya de Silva (captain), Dimuth Karunaratne, Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Kamindu Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Oshada Fernando, Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, Prabath Jayasuriya, Ramesh Mendis, Jeffrey Vandersay, Milan Rathnayake.
New Zealand squad: Tim Southee (captain), Tom Blundell, Michael Bracewell, Devon Conway, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Will O’Rourke, Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ben Sears, Kane Williamson and Will Young.
AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket
Sri Lanka's Kamindu Mendis during day three of the Third Rothesay Men's Test at The Kia Oval, London, Sunday Sept. 8, 2024. ( John Walton/PA via AP)
Sri Lanka's Kamindu Mendis bats during day two of the Third Rothesay Men's Test match between England and Sri Lanka in London, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. (John Walton/PA via AP)
