Why It's So Hard To Turn The Lights Back On In Puerto Rico
http://www.npr.org/2017/10/20/558743790/why-its-so-hard-to-turn-the-lights-back-on-in-puerto....Puerto Rico's slow restoration is in stark contrast to Florida after Hurricane Irma hit.
Within 24 hours, 20 percent of the power that had been knocked out by Hurricane Irma in Florida had been restored. Nearly half had been restored a day later, and it only took a week before more than 95 percent of Floridians had their lights back on.
Puerto Rico was hit by Hurricane Irma, too. It wasn't a direct hit, but two-thirds of the territory lost power. And like Florida, more than 95 percent of Puerto Ricans had power a week later.
But unlike Florida, Puerto Rico was hit again shortly thereafter. And unlike Hurricane Irma, Hurricane Maria swept directly through Puerto Rico, this time knocking out power across the entire territory. An outdated, aboveground power grid coupled with a comparative shortage of utility workers have hobbled efforts to restore power.
Before the storm
Puerto Rico's power grid — like much of its public infrastructure — has lagged behind rest of the country. This point was exposed by Hurricane Irma, but the problem has existed for decades. Puerto Rico's debt crisis has prevented much-needed improvements to power plants that are more than a half-century old.
The Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, which is owned by the government, has faced crippling debt and Puerto Ricans have been footing the bill. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, electricity cost around 19.88 cents per kilowatt hour in Puerto Rico this year. That is well more than the national average of 13.22 cents, despite frequent service interruptions.
In July, PREPA filed for bankruptcy, just months after Puerto Rico as a whole did the same. Three months later, the territory now must figure out how to pay an estimated bill of $5 billion to restore its power grid....
