Puerto Ricans ask the government to cancel the contract with Luma Energy

(Cnn in Spanish) — Hundreds of people arrived this Thursday to the vicinity of La Fortaleza, in Old San Juan, where the official residence of the Governor of Puerto Rico, Pedro Pierluisi, is located, as part of a demonstration that has asked the government to cancel the contract to the company Luma Energy, in charge of the transmission and distribution of electricity on the island.

Luma began operations in Puerto Rico in June 2021, created especially to operate on the island, in part to respond to years of crisis for the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, which was highly indebted and whose problems were aggravated by the damage caused by Hurricane María. caused in 2017, which added to the government’s fiscal problems, made it more difficult for the state corporation to rebuild its infrastructure.

The arrival of Luma did not end the service interruptions, although service rates have increased since then.

The protest interrupted part of the vehicular flow in Old San Juan.

Governor Pierluisi, through a press release, stated that he has asked Luma Energy for “significant changes in its execution plan and corrective measures.”

For his part, Luma expressed this Wednesday at a press conference that they understand the concerns of their clients and the governor, and that they are determined to build the reliable electricity grid that the people of Puerto Rico deserve. Luma has just over 1.4 million customers on the island.

A person is arrested in protest in Puerto Rico after authorities activated an eviction plan

The Puerto Rico Police Bureau reported this Friday through a press release that a protester was arrested after the body had to activate an eviction plan after reports of attacks against police officers.

Hundreds of people arrived this Thursday to the vicinity of La Fortaleza, in Old San Juan, where the official residence of the Governor of Puerto Rico, Pedro Pierluisi, is located, as part of a demonstration that has asked the Government to cancel the contract to the company Luma Energy, in charge of the transmission and distribution of electricity on the island.

The statement describes that the Puerto Rico Police launched the eviction plan “after a group of protesters began to throw gas, screwdrivers, cobblestones, glass bottles, rotten eggs and saucepans, among other objects at the agents.”

“The police officers at the demonstration are residents of Puerto Rico and they feel and suffer like any other person. They went there to ensure that everyone had the right to demonstrate in a safe environment, without incident. The attacks tonight against my police officers are reprehensible. These, in addition, could cause damage to other demonstrators,” said Police Commissioner Antonio López Figueroa.