In Puerto Rico, EcoEléctrica, a private power generator, has begun studying the current conditions and remaining useful life of its critical assets, with the goal of potentially extending its contract with the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA; AEE in Spanish) beyond 2032. The company’s president, Carlos Reyes Berríos, stated that the term of a new contract will depend on the capacity of the electrical system with new generation resources.
EcoEléctrica currently provides 561 megawatts of contracted capacity to the electrical system. Reyes Berríos expects conversations about the contract extension to begin as early as 2027. The company has presented a timeline with the planned sequence of work, including major interventions between 2030 and 2032.
The Puerto Rico House of Representatives’ Government Committee held a public hearing on the matter, where Reyes Berríos clarified that the company’s maintenance costs, between $20 and $30 million annually, are covered by the company’s budget and not passed on to customers. However, the PREPA’s Operations Administrator, Jorge Cotto, noted that $16 to $17 million is assumed in the customer’s bill each month for the payment of two ships that supply fuel to EcoEléctrica and the Costa Sur Power Plant.