Eta Phi

Future Of Puerto Rico's Electric Grid: Challenges & Path Forward

Date: Nov 30, 2018 at 5:30pm to 9:00pm
On the morning of September 20, 2017, the eye of Hurricane Maria made landfall in Yabucoa, as the most powerful hurricane to hit the island of Puerto Rico in more than 80 years. That evening, the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) reported that 100% of its customers were without power. The power outage became the second-largest blackout in recorded history, just behind the Philippines' blackout of 2013 caused by Typhoon Haiyan. In the year following Hurricane Maria's landfall, one of the main questions for Puerto Ricans keeps being what would be the future of the island's electric grid? Currently, there are different efforts and initiatives under way at different governance levels and throughout many communities around the Island. Therefore, this event will discuss the current energy policy and proposed legislation, and explore the challenges ahead to rebuild the electric grid in Puerto Rico, from the perspective of key stakeholders from inside and outside the Island of what is the path forward to achieving a clean, reliable, and resilient grid.