SEPA CEO JULIA HAMM: Blackouts underline fragility of Puerto Rican grid — and urgent need to ‘build back better’

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Following the recent blackouts on Puerto Rico, Julia Hamm, President and CEO of the Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA), has released the following statement.

“These power outages are painful and frustrating reminders of the fragility of Puerto Rico’s electricity system and the island’s urgent need for a reliable and resilient grid. With the Atlantic hurricane season approaching, we must ‘build back better,’ with a special focus on projects, such as microgrids, that ensure energy integrity to all Puerto Rican households and businesses, and bring economic certainty to the island’s growing manufacturing sectors. A reliable energy infrastructure is critical to Puerto Rico’s economic recovery. The challenges ahead will require the active engagement of all stakeholders on the island — not only the policy makers and utilities, but the wider business community and local nonprofit organizations meeting the needs of underserved and remote communities. SEPA remains committed to the common vision of Puerto Rico as a living model for creating the clean, resilient and affordable grid of the future, and to serving as an added resource partner for such efforts.”

Julia Hamm has been a leading voice for electric system transformation and resilience in Puerto Rico. She is a member of the Transformation Advisory Council working with the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA), and was on the Steering Committee of the Puerto Rico Energy Resiliency Working Group, which produced the “Building Back Better” report in December 2017.

Hamm will be presenting on the importance of having a transparent roadmap for transformation at the Puerto Rico Grid Revitalization and Investment Summit, May 8-9, in San Juan.

Media contact: K Kaufmann, [email protected], 202-494-4386.