Energy czar Josué Colón said Thursday morning that GeneraPR staff were working to bring three power-generating units online in time to meet electricity demand that afternoon and evening. Colón warned via social media that without them, there would not be enough power, following another round of blackouts the previous day caused by breakdowns at two units of the Costa Sur plant in Guayanilla.
He detailed the status of each unit: San Juan 7 has its boiler lit but technicians are repairing a mechanical issue in a steam turbine interceptor valve before startup and synchronization could begin; Palo Seco #4 was synchronized to the grid overnight but was pulled from service at 2:09 a.m. after a condenser problem was found during normalization, requiring inspection and repair before restart; and Costa Sur #5 has its boiler lit and awaits proper steam pressure and temperature to start up. Colón said that until all three units sync with the grid, generation capacity will remain insufficient during peak demand hours of 5:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m., and he asked customers to use energy prudently.
The previous night, 136,000 customers lost power. Colón also noted Costa Sur unit 6 will remain out of service for at least two more weeks after suffering additional damage during a startup and synchronization attempt.