A report by the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that only 21% of the funds allocated for the recovery and modernization of Puerto Rico's power grid after Hurricane Maria in 2017 have been disbursed. The GAO estimates that around $17.1 billion has been allocated, with $13.2 billion from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), $2.9 billion from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and $1 billion from the Department of Energy (DOE).
However, only around $3.6 billion has been disbursed. The report attributes the delay in reconstruction to factors such as project review processes, staff turnover, and financing complexity.
The GAO also notes that excessive vegetation growth causes nearly half of the power outages in Puerto Rico and that only 400 miles of transmission and distribution lines have been cleared, out of a total of 16,000 miles planned for restoration. Additionally, the report found that $715 million allocated for solar energy projects in low-income and disabled communities was diverted to projects improving the oil and gas-based power grid.