Rep. José "Cheito" Hernández Concepción, chair of the House of Representatives’ Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said New Fortress Energy’s contract does not allow it to hold back the barge’s entry until it is paid and that, in his view, the company is beginning to breach the contract. He spoke in an interview on Normando en la Mañana.
He explained that the contract provides mechanisms for payment disputes, such as sitting down at a table or going to court, and said the government should discuss taking the company to court to stop the practice. Hernández Concepción said the pilots’ situation came first and was resolved in court last Thursday. According to him, New Fortress asked permission to bring in the barge on Friday and Sunday but then reversed the request.
Asked why the government is not acting, he said it should at least go to court: "They are not exhausting their mechanisms." He warned that the longer the barge stays out, the more power bills could rise when the next quarter is evaluated, noting the situation has lasted almost a month, first over the pilots and now over payments.
The committee called a public hearing for next Tuesday at 10:00 AM, summoning the Energy Bureau, the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) and New Fortress’s president. He called the contract "a disaster, a disaster" and said it was left "complete" for New Fortress. At yesterday’s hearing, New Fortress rejected that this is blackmail and confirmed that the entry of the tanker Amur River is halted by a payment dispute with the Energy Bureau and PREPA.