By The Star Staff
In the middle of discussions on the permanence of the AES coal-fired plant in Guayama, Renewable Energy Producers Association Executive Director Julián Herencia gave assurances that load shifting could cease in just two years.
Lawmakers are discussing legislation to extend the operational life of the coal-fired plant, which must be closed by 2028, for two additional years. AES provides 20% of Puerto Rico’s energy load. Energy Czar Josué Colón Ortiz said the extension should be until 2035 because the projects that could replace the energy provided by AES won’t be ready any sooner.
Herencia said in a radio interview that, although saddled with several challenges, there are projects that, if carried out, would provide 790 megawatts (MW) of energy and 490 for battery storage in the next two years. Of the total, four projects are already under construction, which add up to 320 MW.
Among them is one in Salinas, which should be connected in 2025, even though construction of the port from which it would operate was finished in December 2023. Likewise, a clean flexible energy project from AES should be ready by the beginning of 2026.
“The operational part of the government is the one that has to pay attention and give it priority,” Herencia said. “If that is done, I tell you that in two years there will be no more load reliefs here. I am convinced of that, but we have to put people in place to manage, coordinate and execute according to the designated plan. […] We cannot continue to delay; we Puerto Ricans cannot continue adjusting to the execution inefficiencies of all the parties involved.”
Herencia noted that AES manages two renewable solar energy projects in Salinas and Guayama that add up to a $1 billion, and that would contribute about 220 MW, along with the 20 MW that are already generated with its Ilumina project.
He also highlighted the importance of the 490 megawatts of storage and another 430 MW that Genera PR plans to have (with agreements such as the one recently signed with Tesla) that will go far in reducing blackouts.
“That combination, according to the studies that the Department of Energy and LUMA itself have done, should and will alleviate the frequency of blackouts by more than 85 percent,” Herencia said. “[…] That is if our current generation is maintained,” he added, ruling out that the projects currently underway are expensive.
Regarding the permanence of AES, however, Herencia reiterated that the 500 megawatts of generation that AES produces is necessary and required. However, he pointed out the importance of finding a replacement before its departure in 2027 to avoid a shortage of nearly a thousand megawatts.
“Puerto Rico has a chronic problem of lack of execution,” Herencia said. “And I think that is an area that needs to be addressed. […] The incoming administration and all the rest of us have to understand that the execution of a plan requires a process; it requires a structure behind that process.”