The swearing-in ceremony of the new governor of Puerto Rico last Thursday was the stage for the stars to align towards the objective of providing continuity and promoting a tripartite agreement (United States, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic). This is a project for our country to participate in the solution to the electricity problem of the neighboring island, especially in terms of electricity generation.
And for the alignment to occur perfectly, days before the inauguration there was a massive blackout in Puerto Rico, which caused the solution to the fragility of the electricity sector to be brought to the fore at the inauguration ceremony. of the island.
The leadership of the three countries was present at the event. In her swearing-in speech, the new governor, Jenniffer González, made the commitment to resolve the energy crisis, and to leave no room for doubt, the next day she asked President Joe Biden, through a letter, for the declaration of a state of energy emergency for the island.
For his part, the president-elect of the United States, Donald Trump, who as of January 20 will replace Biden as president, sent a letter to the new governor in which, among other things, he expresses: “I hope to work closely with you to realize your vision of a safe, prosperous and successful future for all Puerto Ricans. With his leadership, we can revitalize Puerto Rico’s essential infrastructure, drive impactful economic initiatives, encourage fair business practices, and protect the well-being of every citizen.”
And to complete the alignment of the stars, at the swearing-in ceremony of the new governor of Puerto Rico, the Dominican president, Luis Abinader, who at the beginning of last November had revealed a plan for starting in 2027, was present as a special guest. create a sufficient energy surplus in the Dominican Republic to lay an underwater cable that allows electricity to be sold to Puerto Rico.
The Caribbean Transmission company and the Hostos Project, managers of the electrical interconnection initiative between the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, have revealed that the project will involve an investment of 1.2 billion dollars for the installation of an underwater cable, in addition to nearly 1,000 million for electricity generation.
And they have assured that if the necessary authorizations are obtained from the Dominican, Puerto Rican and American authorities, work could begin in 2027.
The project is currently in the phase of obtaining the corresponding permits.
Since Puerto Rico is a US territory, a US presidential permit is required.
Additionally, they are in dialogue with the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and MSMEs (MICM), the Ministry of Energy and Mines, and other Dominican authorities to understand the country’s requirements to authorize the project.
Who would have imagined this possibility a few decades ago, when the country’s electricity sector had fallen into a state of prostration?
We still have challenges to overcome, especially in efficiency in the distribution and commercialization of energy, but we can already say that we have a robust generating sector.
