The Amur River has arrived at the Puerto Nuevo pier, and preparations are underway to restore natural gas supply to units five and six of the Central San Juan power plant. However, Secretary of Public Affairs Jean Peña Payano warned that the controversy delaying the ship’s arrival resulted in considerably higher electricity generation costs. Peña Payano stated that the government and people of Puerto Rico should not be held hostage by a private company controversy, citing the LUMA case, which they are winning.
He noted that the delay led to three to four times higher consumption costs than if the ship had arrived on time. The official indicated that there is no definitive analysis yet on how to recover these additional costs. New Fortress Energy is working on the necessary connections and verifications to start supplying fuel to the power plants.
While the ship’s arrival brings operational relief, it remains to be determined who will assume the cost of generating electricity with more expensive fuels.