Department of Energy - Summary of Secretary Granholm's Third Visit To Puerto Rico

SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO - U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer M. Granholm concluded a weeklong visit to Puerto Rico. Throughout the trip, the Secretary spoke with community members in the eastern region of the island to provide updates on the Department of Energy's urgent work to help repair and modernize Puerto Rico's electric grid with clean and reliable energy sources.

The Secretary also discussed next steps to allocate the $1 billion Puerto Rico Power Grid Resilience Fund, authorized by President Biden in December 2022 and managed through DOE's Puerto Rico Grid Recovery and Modernization Team, for activities that will improve the resilience of Puerto Rico's electric grid.

During the visit, the Secretary announced that the Margarita Residents Association Inc., based in Salinas, Puerto Rico, is among the winners of DOE's inaugural Made in America Community Clean Energy Coalition (CCEC) Award. Salinas' community organization aims to provide community solar to at least 40% of its elderly and low-income residents for a more robust and resilient micro power grid. The Secretary also congratulated the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Government of Puerto Rico for advancing the development of the Medical Center's microgrid, ensuring that the operating tables and life-saving equipment can continue to operate in the face of extreme weather events.

The visit marked the Secretariat's third visit to Puerto Rico and kicked off the PR100 Community Engagement Tour, a series of events in which the Secretary heard from Puerto Ricans about their suggestions for Study PR100, a FEMA-funded DOE report that discusses pathways to help the island meet its ambitious goal of 100% renewable electricity policies by 2050.

The Secretary traveled to Salinas, Vieques, Culebra, and Loiza, where she met with residents and community organizations, and visited critical health care facilities facing challenges and seeking locally adapted mechanisms to increase their energy resilience and survival through access to clean energy such as solar with battery storage.

The Secretary is expected to return to Puerto Rico for a fourth visit in March 2023.

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