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Senate hearing: Luma Energy outlines $1.2 billion vegetation-clearing plan, smart-meter rollout and reliability projects
Summary
Luma Energy told the Senate on March 19, 2024 it plans a FEMA-funded $1.2 billion vegetation-clearing program to cut outages by about 45%, a $1 billion public-lighting replacement and a three-year rollout of automation and smart meters; senators pressed timelines, generator shortfalls and contract limits.
SAN JUAN — Luma Energy told a Senate committee on March 19 that it is moving forward with a slate of FEMA-funded projects intended to reduce outages and modernize Puerto Rico's power network, but senators pressed the company for clearer timelines and documentation on generation capacity and procurement.
Juan Saca, chief executive officer of Luma Energy, said the company will begin an islandwide vegetation "despeje" to clear 16,000 miles of lines and that the three-year program carries a budget of "Mil doscientos millones de df3lares." He told the committee the clearance is not pruning but a substantial removal of vegetation that, once complete, "reduce las interrupciones en un cuarenta y cinco por ciento." The session was convened under Senate Resolutions No. 1 and 340.
The projects Saca described include a three-phase public-lighting initiative financed by FEMA (he cited about $1 billion for that program), replacement of high-pressure sodium streetlights with LED in compliance with Law 17 of 2019, modernization of transmission and distribution infrastructure including substation upgrades and new automation devices, and an advanced metering initiative…
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