Puerto Rico Lawmakers Vote to Keep Coal-Fired Power Plant Online

Puerto Rico’s house of representatives passed a bill late Thursday that will allow AES Puerto Rico Inc’s 500 MW coal-fired power plant to operate through 2032, and not shut in 2028 as required by current law.

• Puerto Rico’s Senate could vote on the measure as early as next week
• Governor Jenniffer Gonzalez Colon has said the delay is necessary to guarantee energy stability in the US territory where blackouts are commonplace
• The power plant in Guayama, on the island’s southern coast, generates about 17% of Puerto Rico’s energy, according to the company’s website
  • Note: Environmental groups have been pushing ...