FEMA does not know how much it will cost to stabilize the island’s power grid

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) does not have an estimate of the cost of putting the stabilization plan for the electricity grid into effect, and emphasized that the figure will be known as purchases and the contracts. To stabilize the island’s electrical system, FEMA, together with the government of Puerto Rico and various federal agencies, will locate three generating barges and seven onshore generation units. The idea is that about 700 megawatts are injected into the electrical grid while stations and substations of the Electric Power Authority (AEE) are repaired. At the same time, the power grid modernization projects will continue with the $9.5 billion that FEMA has already allocated to Puerto Rico after the scourge of Hurricane Maria. “FEMA assigned missions for the execution of the Electric System Stabilization Plan to the Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency and the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). This is expected to include tasking the USACE for the acquisition, operations, and maintenance of the temporary generating units, in addition to other resources to meet emerging requirements necessary to stabilize the electrical system ,” FEMA told El New dayin written statements. “The number of units, rental expenses, fuel costs, chosen vendors and other supporting factors will be finalized as acquisition actions are executed, through established federal processes,” he added…. (Excerpt from El Nuevo Dia)