Watchdog Slams Poor Oversight of Puerto Rico Energy Grid Rebuild

Sept. 15, 2025, 5:06 PM UTC

Puerto Rico’s outdated and unstable electrical grid is still vulnerable to power outages in part because of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s failure to provide technical assistance and properly oversee grid reconstruction, a government watchdog found.

Hurricanes Maria and Irma devastated Puerto Rico in 2017, knocking out its old and unreliable energy infrastructure. More than seven years later, “FEMA does not know when Puerto Rico’s electrical grid will be completely rebuilt,” Homeland Security Inspector General Joseph Cuffari reported Monday.

FEMA has obligated more than $13 billion to restore and modernize Puerto Rico’s electrical grid since the 2017 hurricanes. As of ...

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