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Puerto Rico holds hearings on proposed power bill increases as customers fume and outages persist
Hearings on proposed power bill hikes could raise rates by over 40% amid ongoing outages and a poverty rate exceeding 40%, officials and residents say.
- The Puerto Rico Energy Bureau is holding hearings on fee increase requests from private power companies that could raise average residential bills by at least 40%.
- PREPA's $9 billion-plus debt and Hurricane Maria damage underpin filings as companies say extra funding is needed to modernize the grid razed by the storm.
- One proposal from Luma would raise the residential fixed charge from about $4 per month to $15 starting in January, while advocates said new charges would push base-bill components to more than $40.
- Amid chronic outages, residents and advocates resist hikes as Governor Jenniffer González vows to terminate Luma's contract, while Francisco Domenech, Chief of Staff, says legal steps for replacement could start before year-end.
- Puerto Rico is moving away from its 100% renewable energy goal by 2050 under Gov. Jenniffer González, while the U.S. Energy Information Administration reports a mainland average of 17 cents per kWh.
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Associated Press News+9 Reposted by 9 other sources
Puerto Rico holds hearings on proposed power bill increases as customers fume and outages persist
Puerto Rico is holding key hearings on fee increase requests from private power companies that, if approved, could see the U.S. territory’s average residential bill rise by at least 40%.
·United States
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Total News Sources10
Leaning Left5Leaning Right1Center3Last UpdatedBias Distribution56% Left
Bias Distribution
- 56% of the sources lean Left
56% Left
L 56%
C 33%
11%
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