WASHINGTON— The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced it will reallocate up to $365 million to address Puerto Rico’s grid crisis and deliver affordable, reliable energy for the 3.2 million Americans who call Puerto Rico home. The funding will support commonsense repairs and emergency measures that strengthen grid stability and harden critical infrastructure. DOE’s Grid Deployment Office (GDO) will administer the funding through the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) to carry out these critical upgrades.
Puerto Rico’s electric grid has suffered from years of deferred maintenance, mismanagement, and damaging storms, leaving families and businesses vulnerable to frequent outages and higher costs. Through President Trump’s Executive Order 14156, DOE is redirecting resources to strengthen critical infrastructure and deliver reliable and affordable power to communities across Puerto Rico.
“For too long Puerto Ricans have endured instability in their power system with outages and inflated costs,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright. “The Department of Energy is putting the needs of Puerto Rico’s residents first and taking decisive action to restore reliability, protect essential services, and build an energy future they can depend on.”
“A reliable, secure electric system is essential to meet citizens’ basic needs and promote economic development, including our initiatives to bring manufacturing back to Puerto Rico and revitalize the American industrial base. Since day one, President Trump and Secretary Wright have recognized this, making it a priority to support our efforts to stabilize the island’s power grid and prevent future outages,” said Puerto Rico Governor Jenniffer González-Colón. “The Department of Energy’s $365 million award is further proof of this commitment. These funds will help support emergency activities to increase grid reliability and repair generation assets, delivering immediate results that will benefit all 3.2 million Americans in Puerto Rico.”
Under President Trump’s leadership, the Department’s swift action is strengthening critical infrastructure and ensuring the American people have access to reliable, affordable, and secure energy. DOE will continue working with Governor González-Colón and Puerto Rican energy authorities to stabilize the Puerto Rico’s electric grid, restore confidence in its power system, and deliver lasting energy security for its residents.
Background
This funding, allocated through the Puerto Rico Resilience Fund (PR-ERF), was initially awarded by the Biden Administration in December 2024 to support rooftop solar and battery storage installations slated to begin construction in 2026 and follows DOE’s announcement in May of its intent to redirect this funding. The redirection of these funds will expand access to reliable power for millions of people rather than thousands and generate a higher return on investment for taxpayers more immediately.
###
