Genera PR files plan to decommission Yabucoa Plant turbines
Genera PR, the private operator of the electric utility’s legacy power plants, is advancing Puerto Rico’s grid modernization push with a plan to retire two obsolete gas turbines at the Yabucoa Power Plant and replace them with battery storage and new flexible generation.
The July 1 filing before the Puerto Rico Energy Bureau (PREB) follows a June 2 directive from the Public-Private Partnerships Authority (P3A), which ordered the retirement of the two Frame 5 gas turbines—commissioned in 1971 and now largely inoperable. One unit has been offline since 2021, while the second operates at significantly reduced output.
The retirement is consistent with the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), which calls for phasing out older diesel-fired peakers and replacing them with cleaner, more efficient technologies. Genera’s strategy centers on deploying a 40 MW battery energy storage system (BESS) at the Yabucoa site, part of a larger 430 MW storage procurement approved by PREB in February 2024.
The BESS project is modeled as a “fixed decision” in the draft 2025 IRP and is expected to come online in 2026, providing firm capacity and ancillary services while increasing net output by 24 MW compared to the retiring units.
In parallel, Genera is developing 49 MW of new peaking capacity at Yabucoa through Grid Support Units, a project PREB approved in July 2024. These units are slated for commissioning in 2027 and reflect updated configuration changes since the IRP modeling.
LUMA Energy, which oversees resource adequacy, endorsed retirement, citing safety risks and operational challenges associated with maintaining the aging turbines. The company noted the units require continuous manual cooling, making them unreliable and costly to operate.
Genera’s filing includes a community relations plan detailing public engagement, information sessions, and communication tools to maintain transparency during demolition, remediation, and construction activities. The company must also submit a decommissioning budget and coordinate closely with PREPA, P3A, and LUMA throughout the process.
Confidential technical and financial details of the decommissioning plan were submitted under seal. Genera will file a supporting memorandum within ten days.
The Energy Bureau’s review of the plan marks a key regulatory milestone in Puerto Rico’s shift toward modern, resilient generation infrastructure and accelerated deployment of battery storage across the island.
