Implementation Challenges
Tomás Torres-Placa currently serves as Executive of the Puerto Rico Institute for a Competitive and Sustainable Economy. He was a member of the Puerto Rico Planning Board and has chaired the Energy Committee at the Puerto Rico Manufacturers Association for the past two years.
Photo by Christopher Torres: PREPA’s headquarters, Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Since 1941, Puerto Rico has been subject to a vertically integrated government-owned electrical power utility. Prior to the hurricanes that hit the island during 2017, performance metrics of the public power utility showed that a new energy policy was required.
The model that was used for the socioeconomic transformation of Puerto Rico during the 1950s and 1960s needed a change. The aftermath of the hurricanes awakened the urgency of that reality.
However, the simple enactment of an energy policy is not enough. For transformation efforts to succeed, an implementation strategy is required that considers the island's complex situation.