Company releases 16-page fact-based response correcting a series of false claims made on a partial report of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives Commission of Economic Development et al.
San Juan, Puerto Rico, May 12, 2022 – Today, LUMA sent a formal response to the Puerto Rico House of Representatives Commission of Economic Development et al., chaired by Rep. Luis Raul Torres, directly correcting a series of factually incorrect public claims made against the more than 3,000 men and women of LUMA. In the 16-page response, LUMA provides a fact-based response to a series of false and unsubstantiated claims, erroneous information and misleading suppositions related to LUMA’s leadership, customer rate increases and the company’s overall operation of the transmission and distribution (T&D) system.
“While we completely accept that LUMA should be held to a high standard, making false claims is simply wrong, as they needlessly erode public trust. On behalf of the 1.5 million customers who depend on LUMA, we have a responsibility to correct these false claims. Now, maybe more than ever, the people of Puerto Rico deserve the truth, and all of us – whether it is elected leaders or leaders of LUMA – have a responsibility to be honest about the energy progress made and the energy challenges we still face,” said LUMA President and Chief Executive Officer Wayne Stensby.
In the formal response, LUMA countered each claim with supportive facts that address a number of areas, including: (1) LUMA is in compliance with the Puerto Rico T&D System Operation and Maintenance Agreement (OMA) in all contracts and expenses, (2) LUMA has demonstrated positive budget performance, (3) LUMA has made real progress in restoring and repairing the electrical system, (4) there have been extensive training and resources committed by LUMA to train its workforce and (5) that LUMA has never raised customer rates.
“Even before LUMA started work on June 1st, we faced political opposition to the mission of transforming the electric system for Puerto Rico. The more than 3,000 men and women of LUMA have remained focused on this mission, and it is wrong to falsely question their actions, integrity, and performance. Going forward, our hope is that we can all work together to build a better energy system for the people of Puerto Rico,” added Stensby.
The formal response provided to the Commission and other leaders in the Puerto Rico and U.S. Federal governments is just the latest effort made by LUMA to be transparent and correct false statements and misperceptions made publicly by those in positions of influence. Since June 1st, 2021, for example, LUMA has submitted hundreds of thousands of pages of documents to the Puerto Rico legislature, participated in 27 hearings and technical conferences with the Puerto Rico Energy Bureau (PREB), participated in 17 public hearings in the Puerto Rico House of Representatives and six public hearings in the Puerto Rico Senate and has submitted two publicly available quarterly reports.
“All of us at LUMA welcome oversight and have been committed to our partnerships with the government of Puerto Rico, as demonstrated by our numerous submissions of hundreds of thousands of documents related to our operations. All we ask in return is to be treated fairly. No one should be the subject of false claims. That’s why we felt compelled to file a fact-by-fact response with the legislature and key leaders from the U.S. and Puerto Rico governments to see what the truth is,” Stensby said.
In the formal response, LUMA also said that it will continue to correct false claims whenever and wherever they appear and called on all parties to temper the rhetoric and focus on working together on behalf of the people of Puerto Rico to build a better energy future.
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.
