LUMA Energy CEO Janisse Quiñones announced Wednesday that the average residential customer's bill could increase by approximately $48 per month starting in October, if the Puerto Rico Energy Bureau approves a 6.07-cents-per-kilowatt-hour adjustment. The adjustment is meant to recover fuel and power purchase costs that exceeded budgeted estimates during the July-to-September quarter.
Quiñones said the entities responsible for producing electricity spent more than budgeted on fuel and energy purchases, and the adjustment is now under review by the Energy Bureau. LUMA attributed the higher costs to several factors: increased electricity consumption due to high summer temperatures, a rise in global oil prices linked to the Middle East conflict, greater use of customer batteries, and reliance on more expensive fuels when power plants fail to generate sufficient energy.
In written remarks, Quiñones said, "We understand the impact this could have on our customers, especially the elderly population on fixed incomes," adding that LUMA continues to insist Puerto Rico needs reliable and stable electricity generation as the only path to real, lasting relief on energy costs.