PREPA selects Burns & McDonnell for grid revitalisation
USA, Puerto Rico, San Juan: Burns & McDonnell has been awarded a contract for revitalisation of Puerto Rico's electrical grid.
Image source: T&D World
USA, Puerto Rico, San Juan: Burns & McDonnell has been awarded a contract for revitalisation of Puerto Rico’s electrical grid.
The companies’ program management services will support the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA). The work will be primarily funded by the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Relief (CDBG-DR) funds from the U.S. Department of Housing.
In 2017, Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico and caused catastrophic damage to the grid. Much of the island’s transmission and distribution infrastructure was severely damaged by the storm and there was a complete loss of power in all 78 municipalities of Puerto Rico.
Burns & McDonnell’s contract for program management services will include project formulation and funding, project management, design management services, environmental and historic preservation services, construction management services, accounting services, procurement management services, program administration, and other business office functions.
The first priority for the Burns & McDonnell team, in collaboration with key stakeholders and advisers, is to create a portfolio of projects to be executed over the next 10 years. The plan includes projects to not only revitalise the power grid but also provide the level of modernisation that is required to implement Puerto Rico’s new energy policy as set forth by the integrated resource plan and other regulations approved by the Puerto Rico Energy Bureau. Other initial priorities will include strengthening the island’s transmission backbone, hardening or relocation of electric substations in flood areas, and strategic distribution underground.
“Under the Puerto Rico Energy Public Policy Act, which was signed into law in May 2019, PREPA has to obtain 40 % of its electricity from renewable resources by 2025, 60 % by 2040, and 100 % by 2050. We will work with PREPA to develop long-range and strategic plans consistent with the renewable public policy. The integration of renewables into Puerto Rico’s power generation capacity and microgrids certainly have the potential to be a part of the solution,” said Ken Gerling, VP of program management, Burns & McDonnell.
Source: T&D World