Between 10,000 and 12,000 small and medium-sized businesses (pymes) in Puerto Rico could close within three to six months if energy costs stay at current levels, putting more than 70,000 jobs at risk, Alan Taveras, president of the Centro Unido de Detallistas (CUD), told Metro al Mediodía. He said the figure comes from surveys by the CUD and other groups such as the Restaurant Association (ASORE), done with an economist.
Between 20% and 25% of pymes said they are considering closing if power stays above 30 cents per kilowatt-hour. That share is applied to roughly 49,000 pymes on the island. The jobs estimate assumes CUD-affiliated pymes employ seven people on average.
Taveras said nearly half operate on profit margins of 8% or less, and many have absorbed increases rather than pass them to customers. He blamed a pileup of factors: tariffs pushed by the Donald Trump administration, higher oil prices from international conflicts, and now higher electric bills. He warned that January bills will reflect diesel burned due to a lack of natural gas, and that the restructuring of the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA; AEE in Spanish) debt could add further impact.
On September 30, the Puerto Rico Energy Bureau approved higher fuel and purchased-power charges through December 31, a 17.1% increase for small and medium commercial customers. The CUD convened major business groups on Monday, including the Chamber of Commerce, the CPA Association, ASORE and the cooperative sector; the Industrialists Association sent proposals. They produced 20 proposals, including immediate relief, financing mechanisms, generation diversification and more transparency on new generation projects.
These were shared with the House, Senate, La Fortaleza and the Oversight Board; several legislators and the Board have responded.