By HENDZON MARTÍNEZ y ANDY ANDRÉU
On June 1, LUMA, the new energy company in Puerto Rico, replaced the government utility Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA). Much is written about what has been going wrong since June 1, but we want to set the record straight about the company we work for now, compared with our experience working for PREPA.
LUMA has been operating the electric transmission and distribution system here in Puerto Rico for just over five months. It was established with the goal of building a more reliable, more resilient and cleaner energy system for our 3.2 million friends, families and neighbors.
Our LUMA family is over 3,000-strong; we know and see firsthand the progress we are making every single day to build a better energy system for Puerto Rico. How? Because it’s people like us and thousands of others doing the work on the ground.
Andy Andreu and Hendzon Martinez are employees of LUMA in Puerto Rico.
While no one can ignore the real challenges that exist, we are determined to repair, rebuild, clean up and modernize an entire system that suffered decades of neglect. If anyone doubts this, they should visit Puerto Rico where they can see what we see every day.
Unfortunately, the debate about what is best for our energy future has become very political. In truth, it’s been political for decades. While we can’t speak to the political differences, everyone should know that there are many profound differences between LUMA and PREPA in terms of how they operate. One difference that should matter to everyone is safety and training.
Electric work can be incredibly hazardous without the right training, tools, equipment and a dedication to safety.
Since taking over, LUMA has relentlessly conducted health and safety training for thousands of our new co-workers and established the LUMA College for Technical Training. At LUMA College, aspiring line workers also have the opportunity to participate in a critical apprenticeship program, which is the first in Puerto Rico’s history to be certified by the U.S. Department of Labor in partnership with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 222.
While the transition from PREPA to LUMA continues to spark a lot of discussion and debate, we would ask those who are now vocally critical of LUMA: Where were you when PREPA’s leaders were allowing our training and the electric system to degrade for decades? While politics may energize some, making Puerto Rico an even better place to live is our shared goal.
No matter what noise may come from outside, we would ask everyone to remember that there are real workers like us, doing tough jobs, who will not lose sight of our responsibility to build a world class energy system all Puerto Ricans can finally depend on.
We care about Puerto Rico’s future because this is our home too. Working together, we truly believe that our LUMA family will correct the mistakes of the past and build a cleaner and more reliable energy system for this generation of Puerto Ricans and the next.
Hendzon Martínez is LUMA’s director of transmission lines. Andy Andréu is LUMA’s regional manager for San Juan, respectively. Prior to their roles with LUMA, Martinez and Andréu worked at PREPA for more than 15 years.