As the island continues to repair critical infrastructure and prepares for next summer’s peak demand season, additional emergency orders are needed in order to strengthen Puerto Rico’s electric grid.
WASHINGTON—The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today renewed two emergency orders to further strengthen Puerto Rico’s electric grid as the island prepares for rising demand and seasonal storm risks.
Building on previous actions in May and August 2025, DOE’s emergency orders authorize the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) to dispatch generation units essential for maintaining critical generation capacity, while accelerating vegetation management to reduce outages and strengthen long-term grid reliability.
“Modernizing Puerto Rico’s energy grid is essential to achieving long-term reliability and affordability for the Commonwealth,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright. “Our team is working with local and federal partners to boost power generation and accelerate vegetation management efforts to strengthen Puerto Rico’s electrical grid. The Trump Administration is fully committed to delivering affordable, reliable and secure energy to all Americans.”
This year, DOE’s emergency orders and actions assisted the Puerto Rican government in restoring up to 820 MW of baseload generation capacity in Puerto Rico, resulting in an approximate 13% increase to the island’s systemwide generation capacity of 6,460 MW. With DOE funding, PREPA was able to bring a key unit back online after being inoperative for more than two years–strengthening Puerto Rico’s grid.
These orders also address vegetation management issues near high-voltage lines. Falling tree limbs or brush falling during Puerto Rico’s frequent storms and high winds can damage transmission lines, cause widespread outages and potentially cause wildfires. Addressing these hazards to public health and safety is critically important. Additional information can be found here.
“The Department of Energy’s 202(c) emergency orders have provided concrete benefits for Puerto Rico, allowing us to restore 1,200 MW of baseload generation capacity over the past few months and access needed flexibilities to perform vegetation control activities along transmission lines to reduce the likelihood of outages. Maintaining these emergency protocols in place will ensure we can build on this and continue ongoing work to stabilize our electric power system,” said Puerto Rico Governor Jenniffer González-Colón. “I thank Secretary Wright for prioritizing and using all available tools and authorities at his disposal to help us comprehensively address the island’s longstanding energy challenges. I look forward to continuing to partner with the Trump Administration as we advance grid rebuilding efforts and secure an affordable and reliable supply of energy for Puerto Rico.”
The renewed emergency orders will take effect November 13, 2025, through February 10, 2026. DOE will continue working closely with Governor González-Colón and local authorities to ensure Puerto Rico’s 3.2 million Americans have access to a reliable and secure electric grid.
Background:
On May 16, 2025, DOE issued two emergency orders to PREPA under Section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act that allowed specific generation units to operate under certain conditions while directing vegetation management along key transmission lines. DOE issued a renewal of these orders on August 15, 2025.
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