Puerto Rico to Rebuild Power Grid Using US National Standard
The new CEO of Puerto Rico’s power company announced earlier this week that the public agency will immediately adopt a U.S. national standard to design and rebuild the island’s power grid following Hurricane Maria.
That measure will make it easier for the Electric Power Authority to maintain power lines and replace them after a storm, and crews will be able to obtain materials more quickly, CEO Walter Higgins said Monday.
“It’s a great step forward for faster restoration from storms and improving technology of the grid,” he said in a statement. “It ensures that all of our future construction and activities in the grid will be done to a standard that is widely adopted and widely used in the United States.”
It was not immediately clear why Puerto Rico had not previously adopted such a standard and whether the government has already started to rebuild and design a stronger power grid. Higgins was not available for comment, and power company spokesman Carlos Monroig said he did not have details.
More than 29,000 customers remain without power nearly eight months after the Category 4 storm destroyed up to 75 percent of the U.S. territory’s distribution lines. On Monday, a group of neighbors in the southeastern part of the island marched through the streets with Tiki torches and handmade posters that read, “We want power!” Local and federal officials have said a lack of materials and rough terrain have in part delayed power restoration efforts as anger grows over the lack of electricity in dozens of communities.
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