The electric bill at El Ángel Ice Plant, a San Juan factory, rose from $35,000 to $52,000 in four months, owner Ángel Vázquez said in an interview with Sabrosía. The company supplies ice to restaurants, supermarkets and gas stations in the metropolitan area. Vázquez said the bill went from $35,000 to $42,000, then $48,000, and most recently $52,000, "selling the same ice."
"You can't make projections, because you don't know how much the bill will be," he said.
"You can’t make projections, because you don’t know how much the bill will be," he said. Power outages add to the cost. Vázquez said the power goes out at least once a week, with some outages lasting four to eight hours.
A full day without electricity costs about $1,500 in diesel to run his two generators, which burn more than 200 gallons, by his estimates. The plant produces about 110 tons of ice every 24 hours, more than 200,000 pounds. He has cut costs by automating bag packing, eliminating an industrial freezer that he estimated would cost about $5,000 in electricity, replacing diesel trucks with insulated vans that one person can drive, and spending about $50,000 on his own well.
The company has about 25 employees and pays no rent because Vázquez owns the building. The wholesale price has held at $1.25 for an eight-pound bag for over 15 years, and $7 for a 40-pound bag. Vázquez said that price no longer covers expenses, but "it’s not yet the time" to raise it; any increase would be at least 25 cents per bag.
Ice is classified as a food by the FDA and under Puerto Rico’s Environmental Health regulations, which require monthly bacteriological tests and labeling.