Welcome to Connect Puerto Rico,

We’re a monthly newsletter tracking the people, policies, and projects shaping Puerto Rico’s renewable energy development.

We break down what’s happening, what’s not, and what you can do about it.

In This Issue

• Clean Energy Axed, Disaster Prep Cut

• New Fortress Energy Suspends Gas Deliveries

• PREB Demands Answers on Diesel Backup That Doesn’t Work

• Puerto Rican Museum Targeted Ahead of Festivals

Clean Energy Axed, Disaster Prep Cut

🗞️ What happened

Congress passed — and President Trump signed — a sweeping new budget and tax law, known as the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB), that rolls back clean energy programs and boosts fossil fuel support (Canary Media – Big Beautiful Bill).

• Solar and wind projects must start construction within one year or enter service by end of 2027 to receive tax credits.

• Clean vehicle credits end after September 30, 2025; charging infrastructure credits expire June 30, 2026.

• Most energy efficiency incentives vanish after December 2025.

• Meanwhile, the law grants new tax breaks for metallurgical coal exports (Inside Climate News – Megabill Coal Tax Break).

💡 Why it matters

Many repealed programs supported solar adoption, grid upgrades, and local disaster resilience. At the same time, cuts to FEMA and NOAA reduce capacity during peak hurricane season:

• Climate resilience grants eliminated

• NOAA climate labs closing

• FEMA staff reductions mid-storm season (Inside Climate News – Disaster Preparedness)

Small solar installers in Puerto Rico are especially vulnerable. With residential credits ending in 2025, many face business model disruptions, layoffs, and fewer financing options — threatening progress on rooftop solar adoption and local energy resilience (Canary Media – Rooftop Solar Fallout).

🔎 What to watch

Can Puerto Rican developers break ground on new solar or wind projects before July 2026? Will federal lawmakers propose territorial waivers or deadline extensions? If not, Puerto Rico faces rising costs, stalled projects, and fewer tools to prepare for the next hurricane.

New Fortress Energy Suspends Gas Deliveries

📰 What Happened

New Fortress Energy halted liquefied natural gas (LNG) deliveries to Puerto Rico after PREPA failed to pay more than $12 million in invoices and interest (The San Juan Daily Star). The company ordered its supply vessel to leave, cutting off gas to key generation plants in the metro area.

The financial standoff is part of a larger conflict. The island’s fiscal control board recently rejected a $20 billion LNG supply deal between two New Fortress subsidiaries, citing a lack of competition and inadequate review time. Meanwhile, Genera PR — also owned by NFE — faced contract setbacks with the Energy Bureau and lost a bid for an 800 MW temporary power contract.

💡 Why It Matters

Puerto Rico’s reliance on a single LNG supplier leaves its grid and economy vulnerable. This standoff exposes long-standing concerns about monopolistic control, noncompetitive contracting, and the fragility of transitional fuel strategies. With hurricane season underway (June 1 - Nov. 30), the loss of LNG deliveries compounds grid reliability risks.

 🛠️What You Can Do

• Push for transparency in energy deals by following updates from the Financial Oversight and Management Board and Puerto Rico’s legislature.
  

• Support distributed solar alternatives by joining campaigns from Queremos Sol or reviewing policy research from CAMBIO PR.
  

• Track regulatory decisions through the Puerto Rico Energy Bureau’s docket of public hearings and contract rulings.

🔒 Two more stories — including an investigation into diesel backup failures and a federal incursion at a Puerto Rican museum in Chicago — are available to subscribers.

✅ Already subscribed? Stick around for the survey link after our third story.