Puerto Rico Governor Jenniffer González said the government is in talks with Naturgy, Javelin and Crowley to find new natural gas suppliers, given New Fortress Energy’s lack of fuel and rising power generation costs from burning diesel. González said the Spanish company Naturgy, along with Javelin and Crowley, came at the government’s invitation last week and visited the dock.
As long as we keep burning diesel instead of natural gas, the cost of electricity will keep rising,
She said New Fortress has been difficult to deal with and that the government has asked the court to intervene. She does not know when New Fortress can restore gas supply because it has problems with its supplier in Mexico, and the government wants to contract more than one company to avoid depending on a single provider.
"The people of Puerto Rico will not pay for this contractor’s broken dishes," she said. She said claims for additional generation costs exceed $100 million, while court efforts continue to allow third parties into the gas terminal. Separately, officials from the U.S. Department of Energy are in Puerto Rico helping with maintenance of the electric system and coordinating work by LUMA Energy and Genera PR.
González said federal assistance includes $365 million for turbine work and direct dealings with suppliers. The government expects to complete battery system connections between November and December, which requires LUMA to connect them. "As long as we keep burning diesel instead of natural gas, the cost of electricity will keep rising," she said.