Welcome to Connect Puerto Rico,

Closing out August, Puerto Rico nears peak hurricane season amid drought. Rotating water rationing affects more than 180,000 residents.

Plans to improve power reliability are shifting, too. Battery storage is advancing without solar, while a temporary-generation plan collapsed amid contracting failures.

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CPR’s newly published audience research identifies information gaps and formats people said they would use. If you fund journalism, climate communication or Puerto Rico-focused work, read the assessment and get in touch. Share it with folks who should see it.

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Now, let’s get into the news. Thank you for reading.

Puerto Rico’s public power utility canceled a $5.9 billion contract for 400 megawatts of temporary generation at the Aguirre Power Plant in Salinas. The generators were to run primarily on liquefied natural gas.

Enchanted Rock’s parent company said it was not part of the project and that its name and signature were used without authorization. The consortium also failed to provide a required $1.18 billion bond.

The cancellation leaves the government without its only active agreement for temporary power as peak hurricane season approaches.

The Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) canceled the 10-year contract Aug. 18. The deal was supposed to add 400 megawatts of temporary generation at the Aguirre power plant in Salinas. PREPA cited the missing performance bond and the oversight board’s decision to revoke its approval. (Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority)

The Financial Oversight and Management Board (FOMB) said the contract depended on Enchanted Rock, which was expected to provide equipment and much of the project’s technical and financial capacity. Enchanted Rock said it was not part of the project and that its name and signature had been used without authorization. The board said the other partners could not qualify without it. It also said the project had missed every contractual milestone. (FOMB)

CPI identified “Jhoby Weaks,” who signed for Enchanted Rock, as Jobadiah “Joby” Weeks. (CPI)

Weeks pleaded guilty in 2020 to conspiring to sell unregistered securities and evading taxes in a separate cryptocurrency case. (U.S. Department of Justice)

Power Expectations denies wrongdoing. It says its 15-month relationship with Enchanted Rock was documented. (Power Expectations via Prensa Abierta)

The company also argues that the Oversight Board revoked its approval without giving the consortium a chance to respond. (Power Expectations letter)

The canceled contract was Puerto Rico’s only active agreement for temporary generation as peak hurricane season approaches. Officials must now determine how much capacity is still needed and how to replace the lost 400 megawatts. (Caribbean Business) 

The failure also raises questions about how a multibillion-dollar contract cleared government review.

The Trump administration retained federal backing for battery storage while dropping solar from the financing package and pointing toward possible gas generation.

The Trump administration finalized a $489.4 million federal loan for two battery projects totaling 220 megawatts in Arecibo and Santa Isabel. The U.S. Department of Energy said they could provide backup power for more than 100,000 customers. The department also describes the projects as a pathway for possible future gas generation. (U.S. Department of Energy) 

The Biden administration’s January 2025 conditional commitment also included a 70-megawatt solar farm. (U.S. Department of Energy) 

Canary Media reported that the final financing excludes the solar farm. (Canary Media)

A Connect Puerto Rico review found that the batteries are designed to supply their full 220-megawatt capacity for four hours. (U.S. Department of Energy environmental assessment)

The Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority’s 25-year service agreements for the batteries have an estimated combined cost of $1.91 billion. The Oversight Board said the expanded projects and federal financing lowered the contracted price per kilowatt, but it did not independently verify PREPA’s figures. (Financial Oversight and Management Board

The solar farm remains under a separate contract, but its financing and construction status are unclear. (Office of the Comptroller of Puerto Rico)

Battery storage can support renewable energy by holding electricity for later use. These batteries must charge from the electric grid. They could store renewable or fossil-fuel power. 

The federal loan moves battery storage forward without financing the solar generation originally paired with it. The projects’ renewable-energy value will depend partly on what power is used to charge them.

CPR spent more than a year conducting two large surveys and follow-up research. Respondents described Puerto Rico energy information as scattered or outdated and identified formats that could make it easier to find and use. Those findings are helping to shape our work.

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