Expressions of the Resident Commissioner Jenniffer González During the Hearing in the Committee of Natural Resources of The Congress on The AEE

Press Release

The resident commissioner, Jenniffer González Colón, defended the prompt reconstruction of an electrical system in Puerto Rico, robust, diversified and affordable, that offers clients certainty and invites investment and economic development and identified the privatization of the Electric Power Authority as the way to achieve it.

During the public hearing of the Committee on Natural Resources held today on "The crisis in the administration of the Electric Power Authority", the commissioner made the following expressions:

"I want to begin by thanking the Commission President Rob Bishop and the Minority Speaker Grijalva for convening this vitally important hearing for my constituents about the Electric Power Authority (AEE) and the future of our energy infrastructure and system. electric on the island. This is not the first time that Congress celebrates views on this issue, but the time has come to address and resolve the issue once and for all.

Already in Congress we have allocated $ 2 billion for improvements in our electricity network through the so-called supplemental disaster assistance law, but we also need to provide not only resources but also technology, support, and transparency to the process that has been given in AEE.

With this, I want to thank Congressman Bishop again for his firm leadership and commitment to the recovery of the island, before, during and after the devastating impact of Hurricanes Irma and Maria.

Having said that, today's view presents an opportunity to look to the future and avoid the mistakes of the past. My focus today is how to guarantee a solid energy future for the people of Puerto Rico.

The need to reconsider the future of the Electric Power Authority (AEE) is known long before the devastation of Hurricanes Irma and Maria. Everyone in Puerto Rico agrees that an obsolete and expensive energy system like the one we have is an obstacle to economic development, and the debate has been how to solve it. That has not changed.

And I think we all agree that privatization is the only option for the future of the electrical system on the island.

The disasters of 2017 revealed the truly precarious state of our energy network. Communities across the island spent months without electricity due to lack of maintenance over the years. I witnessed this.

Now we must focus on the reconstruction of a modern and resilient energy network in Puerto Rico. This is not just a matter of reconstruction or putting patches. It is a question of building towards the future.

On January 22, 2018, the Governor of Puerto Rico, Ricardo Rosselló, announced the transformation of our energy system through the creation of Public-Private Partnerships.

This is the first time in our history that Puerto Rico has given way to building a public-private partnership by law to provide a rigorous process, with transparency and flexibility to frame the negotiations that would result in a financially viable electric system focused on consumer welfare and in the privatization process. We need to see that this actually happens at the end of the year.

That is the critical point in any transformation process: TRANSPARENCY in the processes and being able to offer CERTAINTY to investors and businesses as to what the policies and costs will be and what they can make plans to build in Puerto Rico.

Reconstruction efforts should include: resistance; diversification of fuel sources, including renewable energy; public and private investment "

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