The Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (AEE, or PREPA) renewed its request to the federal court to order New Fortress Energy (NFE) to allow a third party to supply liquefied natural gas (LNG) to the Palo Seco and San Juan power plants. The dispute has left a tanker off Puerto Rico’s coast while the plants burn a more expensive fuel.
In a motion filed Sunday, PREPA said Crowley is ready to supply fuel immediately, by land, to both plants. With access to NFE’s port, Crowley could supply larger quantities, according to a statement from Crowley vice president Jacquelyn Gonsalez filed with the motion. The request followed the suspension of the tanker Amur River’s scheduled Sunday entry into San Juan Bay, after NFE argued that an Energy Bureau order puts at risk the payments it is owed for supplying natural gas.
PREPA’s motion says NFE conditioned any additional supply on terms not in the fuel purchase agreement and, on October 4, kept the Amur River out of the bay. It adds that NFE’s disagreement with the Energy Bureau does not entitle it to hold Puerto Rico’s gas supply "hostage." PREPA had earlier asked that NFE allow a third party to supply fuel through an alternate mechanism in its gas supply agreement (GSA).
Judge María Antongiorgi Jordán denied that request on Friday, partly because of the plan for the Amur River to enter the bay Sunday. The court said PREPA must show the provisional measure would protect against irreparable harm.