$365M slated for solar projects in Puerto Rico will be diverted to power grid, sparking outcry
Source: AP
Updated 6:28 PM EDT, May 21, 2025
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The U.S. Department of Energy announced Wednesday that $365 million originally slated for solar projects in Puerto Rico will be diverted to improve the island’s crumbling power grid, sparking an outcry just days before the Atlantic hurricane season starts.
The funds had been in limbo in recent weeks, with the Department of Energy missing a recent deadline to finalize contracts worth $365 million that would see battery-operated solar systems installed at health clinics and public housing units in Puerto Rico. The money had been set aside for that purpose under the administration of former U.S. President Joe Biden.
“That money was spring loaded to flow now,” said Javier Rúa Jovet, public policy director for Puerto Rico’s Solar and Energy Storage Association. He and others criticized the move. “This is shameful,” Democratic New York Rep. Nydia Velázquez wrote on X, noting that the funds were meant to serve the most vulnerable. “Republicans have turned their backs on those who need it most, just 1 week before the start of hurricane season,” she wrote.
Grantees that include the nonprofit Hispanic Federation had said the funds were urgently needed to provide stable power to people including those on dialysis as major outages continue to hit Puerto Rico.
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/puerto-rico-federal-funds-energy-department-solar-379e4dc7b361268819bf60dd0cf9b0dc