Photo: Angel Valentin / Getty Images
By: EFE
Tuesday, November 19
The crisis of the electricity system on the island fills the streets with protests in Puerto Rico
The Puerto Ricans took their malaise over the crisis of the electricity system of the island , caused by constant cuts of the service and the threat of rising prices than endanger the recovery of the economy of the Caribbean territory.
Hundreds of people gathered next to the Hiram Bithorn stadium in the Puerto Rican capital to march on the Las Américas express against the company Luma Energy and the electricity service received by the population.
The protests are directed so much against this private company, which since last June is responsible for the distribution and transmission of the electricity system of the island, such as the state Electric Power Authority (PREPA) , which until that date was responsible for the entire system and which maintains the generation.
Subscribers reject the quality of a service that they report is poor as has been demonstrated in recent months with continuous blackouts, which affected both private customers and small merchants and companies.
The governor intervened
Ángel Figueroa, the president of the union with a presence at PREPA Union of Electric and Irrigation Industry Workers (Utier), said during the demonstration tion that the problems of the electricity system are the responsibility of Luma Energy.
“The people have realized the bad contract and the consequences. It is no longer what we said would happen, but it is already happening “, he assured.
The situation reached a point where the governor himself, Pedro Pierluisi, was forced to intervene and demanded immediate measures to respond to what was becoming the main problem of the Caribbean island.
After the intervention of the Chief Executive Officer, PREPA’s Governing Board appointed engineer Josué Colón as the new executive director of the public company at the end of September with the aim of solving blackouts that left hundreds of thousands of people without service .
Blackouts are becoming more frequent
The increasingly frequent blackouts have caused a great social unrest , especially after despite a poor service will announce the possibility of a rate increase .
Luma Energy has defended itself against attacks caused by blackouts, noting that the problem lies in generation, PREPA’s responsibility, which in turn justified the problems by a series of breakdowns.
Despite the problems suffered by the subscribers, Luma Energy requested a increase of 16. 4% on the invoice de la luz as of October 1, a request that, for now, has not been approved by the regulatory authorities. The president of the United Retailers Center (CUD), Jesús Vázquez, asked the governor and the legislature to address the crisis in the electricity system on the island.
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