San Juan— Puerto Rico Governor Jenniffer González Colón used a recorded address Wednesday to confront head-on the island’s chronic water and electricity infrastructure failures, attributing both to decades of underinvestment and deferred maintenance — and outlining the remediation work her administration says is now underway. “Two of the biggest challenges I have faced as governor […]
San Juan— Puerto Rico Governor Jenniffer González Colón used a recorded address Wednesday to confront head-on the island’s chronic water and electricity infrastructure failures, attributing both to decades of underinvestment and deferred maintenance — and outlining the remediation work her administration says is now underway.
“Two of the biggest challenges I have faced as governor are the problems with electrical infrastructure and drinking water. Both stem from a lack of investment and maintenance over decades,” González Colón said.
Water System on the Brink
The governor detailed the condition of three critical water facilities in the San Juan metropolitan area, none of which she described in flattering terms.
The Sergio Cuevas plant — the primary water production facility for the metro area, serving more than 190,000 customers — has not been modernized in over a decade. “Its equipment operates damaged and beyond its useful life,” she said. The Finca Rosso facility, which pumps water to more than 60,000 customers in Bayamón, Guaynabo, and San Juan, suffered severe damage last year from voltage fluctuations caused by LUMA Energy. The Enrique Ortega plant was knocked offline by LUMA-related power interruptions.
“This did not happen overnight, and it will not be resolved through improvisation,” González Colón said.
Her administration has committed $216 million to modernize water treatment plants as part of a broader $7 billion investment in drinking water projects across the island’s municipalities. “Work is already advancing to rebuild and recover water production capacity and strengthen our system,” she said.
Power: Clearing the Backlog
On the electricity side, the governor said Puerto Rico exceeded its energy production forecasts last year despite widespread predictions of blackouts. Emergency temporary power generation contracts — approved by the Fiscal Oversight Board in recent weeks after being awarded last November — are now moving forward.
Looking ahead, González Colón said her administration expects to award contracts for more than 3,000 megawatts of new permanent generation capacity this summer. “This summer we must award more than 3,000 megawatts of new permanent generation for the Puerto Rico of the future that we want,” she said.
