Project Announcement in the Community of Lajas is Part of the First Phase of LUMA’s One-Billion-Dollar “Community Streetlight Initiative” to Transform Puerto Rico’s Energy Grid
San Juan, Puerto Rico, July 15, 2022 – Today,LUMA announced the expansion of its historic one-billion-dollar Community Streetlight Initiative (CSI), Puerto Rico’s first reconstruction project approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), in the municipality of Lajas. CSI will work toward repairing and replacing thousands of streetlights throughout Puerto Rico and improving energy efficiency and public safety over the coming years. In Lajas, crews began the important work of modernizing over 4,301 streetlights with an initial investment of over 13 million dollars.
This event was held on Friday, July 15, in Lajas, where Mayor Jayson Martínez was joined by LUMA Senior Vice President of Engineering, Asset Management and Capital Programs Dr. Shay Bahramirad and LUMA Vice President of Capital Programs Juan Rodriguez,to announce the start of this critical reconstruction project in the community. This announcement comes shortly after the initial start of construction of the first phase CSI in the municipalities of Aguada and Maunabo during LUMA’s “Community Streetlight Week” earlier this month.
“Leaders and citizens alike across Puerto Rico have emphasized the need for modern streetlights in order to provide greater safety and security for their communities. That’s why we’re proud to join Mayor Martínez to celebrate expansion of our historic Community Streetlight Initiative in Lajas, where this ambitious program will bring the community’s public streetlight system to modern standards and result in a more reliable and resilient electric system across the community,” said Dr. Shay Bahramirad, Senior Vice President of Engineering, Asset Management and Capital Programs of LUMA.
The work being done in Lajas also includes critical funding from FEMA’s 406 Hazard Mitigation Program, which hardens infrastructure to mitigate future impacts of severe weather. This will include work that will strengthen the arms, breakaway bases, concrete bases and poles by increasing the wind tolerance of all materials to withstand hurricane-strength winds of up to 160 mph.
“We’re very excited about this work. Construction on the Community Streetlight Initiative has just begun across multiple municipalities, and we are nearly at a pace of replacing or repairing over 300 streetlights each and every week,” said Dr. Bahramirad. “We are proud of the hard work our LUMA teams are continuing to devote to projects like these to build the more reliable, more resilient, more customer-focused and cleaner energy system for our 1.5 million customers.”
Community Streetlight Initiative Project Details
- Nearly $30 million in federal funding is approved for the initial phase of CSI and are part of approximately $98 million in total funding for streetlight projects expected to begin construction in 2022.
- The streetlight projects include the replacement of streetlight arms, photocells, luminaires, poles and other components.
- The Aguada CSI Project repairs and replaces 6,655 streetlights
- The Maunabo CSI Project repairs and replaces 2,428 streetlights
- The Lajas CSI Project repairs and replaces 4,301 streetlights
Future FEMA Projects in Progress
To date, LUMA has initiated 189 projects with FEMA representing billions of dollars of new electric infrastructure investments. Additional FEMA funding approvals for other critical infrastructure projects are expected to be announced over the coming weeks and months. As part of its commitment to transparency, LUMA looks forward to communicating these additional FEMA-funded projects, once they are approved, and working with FEMA, the Puerto Rico Energy Bureau (PREB), and other agencies whose oversight and cooperation is vital.
About LUMA
LUMA is a Puerto Rican company that, since June 1, 2021, operates and manages the electric power transmission and distribution system in Puerto Rico. LUMA is a company driven by a mission to transform the electrical transmission and distribution system to provide all Puerto Ricans with the reliable, resilient, cleaner and affordable electrical grid they deserve. As a customer-centric company, LUMA’s entire workforce of more than 3,000 employees is focused on safely delivering an exceptional customer service experience to its 1.5 million customers.
