Jean Peña Payano, secretary of Public Affairs at La Fortaleza, said the request by LUMA Energy and Genera PR for a residential electricity rate increase lacks justification. The private companies asked the Energy Bureau (Negociado de Energía) to approve an increase of six cents per kilowatt-hour, citing fluctuating oil prices in global markets. Peña Payano said that during the hearing the companies spoke about the price of diesel and other fuels.
He acknowledged there is a conflict in the Middle East and an issue in the Strait of Hormuz, but said the fuel used in Puerto Rico to generate power does not come from that area, so attributing a potential increase to what is happening in the Strait of Hormuz has no basis. The Energy Bureau will determine, once the information is verified, whether the increase is justified and whether it will be the amount requested, a smaller one, or even a larger one.
Peña Payano said Governor Jenniffer González Colón has opposed the increases and that the administration will watch how the companies behave and what the Bureau decides, stressing that they have opposed the increases.