PPD Senate delegation proposes using $131.6M from emergency fund to lower power bills
The measures aim to cover fuel costs approved for recovery in October-December 2026 electric bills after a 18.5% rate increase approved by the Puerto Rico Energy Bureau.
File photoThe short version
- NotiCel, Telemundo Puerto Rico and El Nuevo Día reported that the PPD Senate delegation held a press conference Monday to present the three measures seeking to reallocate $131.6 million from the Emergency Reserve Fund to the Electric Power Authority
- The Energy Bureau approved a rate rise on Sept. 30 from 28.57 to 33.85 cents per kWh; NotiCel added that LUMA had proposed 6.66 cents but received approval for 5.28 cents
- A residential customer using 800 kWh would pay about $42 more per month while a large industrial client could face an additional $29,108 according to the new reports
- The proposal covers a $131.6 million gap between $627.1 million in fuel costs and $486.4 million billed for June-August 2026 after a $9 million credit; the fund balance is estimated near $1.2 billion and the request equals about 11%
Updates
Update, Oct 26, 2:35 PM AST
New reports from NotiCel, Telemundo and El Nuevo Día add details on the third measure, fund balance history, LUMA proposal vs. approved increase, and calls for governor and FOMB action.
NotiCel reported that the PPD Senate delegation held a press conference Monday announcing the three measures, with Senator Josian Santiago Rivera explaining that the Emergency Reserve Fund has $1.2 billion and the request is for 11% of it. NotiCel reported
Telemundo Puerto Rico and El Nuevo Día confirmed the same $131,650,334.94 figure from Joint Resolution 229 and added that Concurrent Resolution 22 by former Senate President José Luis Dalmau Santiago urges Governor Jenniffer González Colón to amend existing emergency executive orders on energy generation to explicitly address rate increases. Telemundo Puerto Rico reported El Nuevo Día reported
The new accounts state Senator Luis Javier Hernández Ortiz called for the PNP legislative majority to seriously consider the proposals and suggested the government could act first and seek FOMB approval later if needed. NotiCel noted LUMA proposed a 6.66-cent increase but the Energy Bureau approved 5.28 cents per kWh; all three new sources cite the Energy Bureau's explanation tying the adjustment to global fuel market effects from the Strait of Hormuz conflict. The reports do not contradict the earlier Metro Puerto Rico and Primera Hora accounts.
Legislative measures presented
The Popular Democratic Party (PPD) delegation in the Senate presented three legislative measures on Monday to use $131.6 million from the Emergency Reserve Fund to prevent consumers from paying part of the electricity rate increase for the October-December 2026 quarter. Metro Puerto Rico reported
The main proposal, Joint Resolution 229, would reassign $131,650,334.94 from the fund to the Electric Power Authority to cover fuel costs authorized by the Energy Bureau for recovery through consumer bills. Senator Josian Santiago Rivera presented the measure, noting that fuel costs from June to August 2026 reached $627.1 million while billing was $486.4 million, leaving a difference of approximately $131.6 million after a $9 million credit. Primera Hora reported
Senator Ada Álvarez Conde filed Senate Bill 1599 to amend the Emergency Fund law to explicitly allow its use for mitigating quarterly fuel adjustments that raise electricity rates. The bill would keep requirements for a declaration of emergency by the governor and a request from the Office of Management and Budget to the Financial Oversight and Management Board. Álvarez Conde cited the board's August approval for drought relief as precedent, arguing electricity is also an essential service. Metro Puerto Rico reported
Also on PuertoRico.com: Puerto Rico power and water outages
What the sources posted
Posts and statements below are the sources' own words, quoted as published. They are not independently verified.
Esto no es un problema, esto es una emergencia, y todos tenemos la responsabilidad de proponer soluciones.
Our translation: This is not a problem, this is an emergency, and we all have the responsibility to propose solutions.
The source's own statement, as quoted by Metro Puerto Rico. Not verified by PuertoRico.com.
Rate increase details and impacts
The Energy Bureau approved the adjustment on Sept. 30, raising the rate from 28.57 to 33.85 cents per kilowatt-hour, an 18.5 percent increase. Senator Luis Javier Hernández Ortiz, the delegation spokesperson, called the situation an emergency. Primera Hora reported
Alternate spokeswoman Senator Marially González Huertas said a residential customer consuming 800 kilowatt-hours monthly would pay an additional $42.27, raising the bill from $228.59 to $270.86. For commercial clients, the monthly increase would be $63.42 for a small business, $4,851 for a medium commercial or industrial client and up to $29,108 for a large one. Metro Puerto Rico reported
The increase stems from a request by LUMA Energy under the Fuel Purchase Clause. The bureau approved 17.35 cents after LUMA sought to raise it from 11.40 to 18.07 cents. The Energy Bureau also projects an additional 2.09 cents per kilowatt-hour increase for the January-March 2027 quarter, equivalent to $82.5 million, due to greater diesel use by out-of-service generating units. Primera Hora reported
Where the sources differ
All five outlets agree on the $131.6 million figure and exact $131,650,334.94 amount, the June-August 2026 fuel cost gap after the $9 million credit, the three measures (Joint Resolution 229, Senate Bill 1599 and Concurrent Resolution 22), the 18.5% rate increase approved Sept. 30, the residential bill impact of about $42.27 more for 800 kWh, and the precedent of the August drought relief approval. NotiCel, Telemundo and El Nuevo Día add the fund's $1,055 million balance in April 2024, the 11% figure, the explicit call to amend executive orders, Hernández Ortiz's suggestion that the government could act and later seek FOMB approval or court review, and the Energy Bureau's link to the Strait of Hormuz conflict. Primera Hora alone mentioned the United Retailers Center warning of over 12,000 business closures and 70,000 jobs at risk and the projected 2.09-cent January-March 2027 increase of $82.5 million; El Nuevo Día rounds the new rate to 33.86 cents.
What the reports do not say
The reports do not state whether the governor, the Financial Oversight and Management Board or the PNP legislative majority will support the measures. They do not give the current exact balance of the Emergency Reserve Fund, any response from LUMA Energy or the Energy Bureau to the proposals, the exact formula for distributing the funds to residential, commercial and industrial customers, or the likelihood the measures will advance. Possible total consumer savings, effects on future rates or next steps if the fund is used are also not addressed.
Sources
Every link below was opened and checked when this story was published and last updated. Official means a government body, agency or the organization itself; Reporting means a news outlet.
- Reporting Proponen utilizar $131.6 millones del Fondo de Emergencia para reducir la factura de luz
- Reporting “Esto no es un problema, esto es una emergencia”: PPD presenta propuestas para bajar la factura de luz
- Reporting Solicitan $131 millones del Fondo de Emergencia para mitigar el alza en la tarifa de energía
- Reporting PPD propone utilizar dinero del Fondo de Emergencia para reducir factura de luz
- Reporting Senadores populares proponen usar dinero del Fondo de Emergencias para mitigar el aumento en la luz
How we checked this
Metro Puerto Rico, Primera Hora, NotiCel, Telemundo Puerto Rico and El Nuevo Día all covered the Monday press conference and the three PPD measures; details on the third resolution, fund history and possible government action rest on the three newest reports.
Compiled by the PuertoRico.com News Desk from the reports and statements listed above, and checked against them before publishing. It does not include original interviews. Spot an error? Email support@puertorico.com with a link to this story.
Nils Huenerfuerst / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0PuertoRico.com is free, and readers like you keep it that way.
The PuertoRico.com newsroom checks every story against its sources and publishes it free. If this one helped, a contribution of any size keeps the next one free too.
One payment, nothing to sign up for.
Contributions go to Puerto Rico.com, LLC. They are not charitable donations and are not tax-deductible. Payments are processed by Stripe.
Thank you for keeping PuertoRico.com free.
Your contribution went through. It helps pay for the next story.
Contributions go to Puerto Rico.com, LLC. They are not charitable donations and are not tax-deductible. Payments are processed by Stripe.