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Since June 1, 2021, LUMA has made real, significant and lasting progress toward building a better electric system for Puerto Rico, helping to make the next phase of progress possible. To date, LUMA has:
LUMA has made significant progress in a short period of time. Just consider this:
We won’t be satisfied until all Puerto Ricans experience the same level of reliability as communities across the rest of the United States. We know there is more work left to do, but we’re committed to our partnerships with local and federal stakeholders to make it happen.
Based on feedback from customers and community leaders, LUMA is prioritizing:
No one has done more to accelerate the clean energy transformation in Puerto Rico than LUMA, including connecting more than 71,000 customers to rooftop solar, with over 451 megawatts of renewable electricity to the grid. LUMA has connected 4,100 customers to solar energy on a monthly basis. This is something never seen before in Puerto Rico and placed the island fifth in the nation in solar energy per capita.
LUMA announced an island-wide “Building a Better Energy Future” work plan that includes specific actions to reduce service interruptions:
For a list of key actions included in our work plan, click here.
As part of our “Building a Better Energy Future” 12-month work plan announced in September, we announced a series of customer support initiatives to improve service:
For a list of key actions included in our work plan, click here.
Preparing for emergencies, like hurricanes, is a year-round priority for LUMA. Every year, LUMA files a rigorous Emergency Response Plan (ERP) with the Government of Puerto Rico and the PREB. The ERP follows industry best practices for emergency response and preparedness and uses the National Incident Management System (NIMS) as established by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). In addition, we have resources prepared and ready to respond, including:
These preparedness efforts are in addition to the work LUMA is doing every day to strengthen the grid and improve reliability for our customers.
LUMA has nearly 4,500 employees, including 1,515 field workers and 1,167 lineworkers. We are proud that our utility field workers are trained to the highest industry standards through LUMA College for Technical Training, including 7,000 hours of training and 2,000 hours of on-the-job experience. This high standard is required in a modern utility, and we believe that Puerto Rico deserves nothing less.
LUMA is committed to building the next-generation energy workforce. As the first US Department of Labor certified lineworker apprenticeship program in Puerto Rico, LUMA College is developing the talent critically needed to transform the electric grid. To date, we have:
In addition, LUMA provides extensive onboard training to new employees in customer-facing roles, and we’ve connected employees with best-in-class utilities for peer learning opportunities through Utility Council memberships.
Our goal is to build a local workforce that will help transform all aspects of Puerto Rico’s energy future.
To be clear, LUMA has never requested an increase in customer rates since it took over as operator of Puerto Rico’s electric transmission and distribution system. The recent rate increases set by the PREB are related to the increase in global fuel prices, which LUMA does not control or profit from. Here are a few facts:
While LUMA is not responsible for rising generation fuel costs, we are determined to help our customers. Customers who are interested in learning more about payment plans or current government assistance programs can visit www.lumapr.com, call LUMA directly at 1-844-888-LUMA (5862) or visit any of LUMA’s 25 Customer Service Centers across the island.
When the demand for electricity exceeds available supply levels, LUMA, as the system operator and in compliance with its responsibilities under the T&D OMA, implements load shedding to stabilize the electric system and prevent larger and longer outages. LUMA does not operate electricity and can only operate the system with the electricity that is provided by GeneraPR, PREPA and other island generators.
When generation is insufficient LUMA will work to avoid affecting critical customers when load shedding occurs, including public health facilities like hospitals and other essential services like water pumping stations (e.g., PRASA facilities), police stations, and fire stations.
Puerto Rico suffers from an inadequate supply of energy resources. There is simply not enough reliable generation capacity to meet demand and LUMA can only distribute the electricity produced by GeneraPR and other generators. While LUMA is not responsible for generation, and does not generate electricity, we are committed to doing everything we can to improve our customers’ electric service and address Puerto Rico’s long-standing generation capacity issues, for example:
In less than a year, this effort led to the first FEMA-funded, land-based electricity generator coming to Puerto Rico.
We work closely with all generators to provide any assistance we can to help reduce the scope and impact of generation-related load shed events and communicate with our customers. LUMA also provides real-time information for customers on our website and updates on our social media pages to indicate when rotating outages may occur due to load shedding and to encourage energy conservation to reduce risk.
In addition, LUMA provides an array of public tools to keep customers informed every day, including:
We also strongly encourage customers to conserve energy to help reduce energy demand when generation does not meet demand to help mitigate temporary outages and improve reliability for all. For energy-saving tips, visit: https://lumapr.com/residential/energy-saving-tips/?lang=en
LUMA is not responsible for replacing and repairing all streetlights across Puerto Rico. Some streetlights, as well as all traffic lights, are the responsibility of the Department of Transportation or are owned by private parties who are responsible for their maintenance. For the lights that are LUMA’s responsibility, LUMA continues to make progress on our $1 billion Community Streetlight Initiative, a FEMA-funded program that will repair and replace streetlights throughout Puerto Rico to improve public safety and energy efficiency.
As part of this program, we’ve replaced more than 65,000 streetlights to date as part of our plan to install a total of over 300,000 streetlights across all 78 municipalities over the next three years to continue making communities safer, more accessible, and more energy efficient and environmentally friendly.
A right-of-way is the strip of land on either side of transmission and distribution powerlines that is restricted for other uses and must be kept clear in order to ensure public and worker safety, and enable maintenance and operations. Maintaining a safe clearance around electric infrastructure is important for public safety, a global industry standard, and a legal requirement.
To ensure public safety, the safety zones under powerlines and poles must be clear of structures that may prevent access or endanger our crews or members of the community. If our crews identify an unsafe, unlawful structure or dangerous condition in a safety zone, we will work with the property owner to address the hazard, maintain system reliability and protect public safety.
All of us at LUMA share our customers’ frustration over the instability of Puerto Rico’s electric system that suffered from years of neglect and the continued insufficiency of generation energy that contributes to ongoing voltage fluctuations that impact our customers.
All electric systems, even the most advanced in the world, are subject to potential changes in power quality that can result in damage to electrical devices that are not protected from voltage surges. As is standard industry practice, LUMA encourages all our customers to learn about the simple steps, such as using surge protectors, that will help protect their electric devices and equipment. Learn more: https://lumapr.com/protegiendo-tu-equipo-personal/.
The 4,000 men and women of LUMA are determined to rebuild the energy system to help reduce the potential for voltage fluctuations. As part of this commitment, our trained and experienced LUMA team members are available to anyone with questions or concerns about voltage issues at their home. We encourage any customer who wants to learn more to please visit a customer service center, go to lumapr.com or call us at 1-844-888-5862 (LUMA).
To submit a claim to LUMA, we encourage our customers to visit one of our 25 customer service centers located across Puerto Rico.
Data as of January 17, 2023
