Hundreds of Puerto Ricans protest rising electricity costs, say solar alternatives unrealistic

Hundreds of Puerto Ricans gathered in the streets on Wednesday to protest a proposed increase to their electricity bills, which many complain will only add to the already expensive cost of living on the island.

The group of demonstrators walked holding Puerto Rican flags and signs against the electricity price increase as they made their way towards the governor’s mansion. 

On Wednesday, Puerto Rican politicians proposed increasing the price of electricity on the island as part of a debt restructuring plan aimed to help get the territory’s power company out of bankruptcy. If the measure is approved, the island’s residents would end up paying more than double what they currently spend over the next 30 years. 

At the current rate of electricity stands at 25 cents per kilowatt hour, Puerto Rico’s residential electricity rates are almost double those in the mainland U.S., according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Similarly, industrial and commercial rates are more than twice as high. 

“The higher the energy costs, the less money a family has to survive, and not everyone has money to install a solar system,” Rev. Lizette Gabriel, bishop of Puerto Rico’s Methodist Church, told The Associated Press. 

Puerto Rico’s power grid has had long-lasting problems after it was partially destroyed by Hurricane Maria, a Category 4 storm that hit the Caribbean territory in September 2017. 

Since then, many of the island’s residents have complained about constant power outages, costly power bills, and other issues surrounding the island’s transmission and distribution of power. 

Puerto Rico’s Electric Power Authority, which was accused of corruption and mismanagement, holds $9 billion in public debt from defaulted bonds and other obligations—the largest for any government agency in the United States.  

The current electricity crisis comes at a challenging time on the island amid one of Puerto Rico's record heatwaves, leaving residents stuck facing the sweltering heat without air conditioning.

On June 14, ADN America reported that the island was suffering under temperatures that reached the 90s, but felt as hot as 125 degrees. That report was confirmed by several major news outlets including NBC and The Washington Post. 

“Puerto Rico is slogging through a prolonged and historic heat wave, which “astonished” meteorologists are attributing to a confluence of weather and ocean patterns, as well as human-caused climate change. The heat index has reached as high as 125 degrees, and the dangerous heat is expected to continue through the weekend,” the Washington Post reported.

“The temperature shift on the Caribbean island endured “record-breaking minimum and maximum temperatures for this time of year on Monday and Tuesday, when it jumped to 95 degrees. But the heat index, which measures how temperatures feel like to the human body, surpassed 120 degrees Fahrenheit on Tuesday in parts of Puerto Rico, even peaking to 125 in the northern towns,” NBC reported.

At the time of this report, The Weather Channel was reporting the island's temperature was still at 88 degrees Fahrenheit.