As part of the anniversary of its first year of operations, LUMA identified an array of actions it has taken to put customers first, to further its commitment to clean energy, as well as transform and modernize Puerto Rico’s transmission and distribution system.

San Juan, Puerto Rico, June 1, 2022 – Today, as part of its first-year anniversary, LUMA proudly highlighted the broad accomplishments the company has made across the energy system during its first twelve months of operating Puerto Rico’s transmission and distribution system. The effort to highlight the company’s achievements, which included a detailed and fact-based summary of the progress made to improve customer service, reliability, move forward critical FEMA projects, respond to outages, and empower the growth of solar energy, were presented in a public briefing for the media today, and will be shared with customers through multiple communication channels throughout the coming week.

“The 3,000 men and women of LUMA are proud to serve the people of Puerto Rico, and of the efforts we have made to fundamentally transform and modernize the energy grid. While the past year has brought many challenges as a result of energy grid that has suffered years – if not decades – of neglect from the past operator, we are making real and measurable progress. Our LUMA team is excited about the future, and we are absolutely delivering on our mission of building a better energy future for our 1.5 million customers,” said LUMA President and Chief Executive Officer Wayne Stensby.

During today’s press briefing, a variety of LUMA senior leaders shared key achievements and points of progress across LUMA operations, including Customer Service, Safety and Training, Federally Funded Projects, System Reliability and Resiliency, Sustainable Energy Transformation, Transparency and Emergency Preparedness. Among the areas of progress emphasized included the following:

Customer Service

• Assisting over 2,000,000 people after reopening all 25 customer service centers
• Answering 2,500,000 calls, with an average call wait time of less than one minute
• Launching the first ever LUMA branded bill, featuring energy saving tips, energy usage charts, and information that is clearer and easier for customers to understand
• Launched the Mi LUMA app and recorded over 560,000 downloads

Safety and Training

• Recorded no serious injuries
• Completed over 100,000 hours of mentorship, safety training and technical training
• 68% reduction in the Total Recordable Injury Rate (TRIR)
• 85% reduction in the Injury Severity Rate

Federally Funded Projects

• Initiated the modernization of 300 substations
• Launched the $1 billion Community Streetlight Initiative in a historic first Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) approval
• Received FEMA funding approval for 10 projects/programs, representing $94 million in federal funding

System Reliability and Resiliency

• 30% reduction in outages experienced by customers
• Replaced over 3,000 broken and failing poles
• Cleared 100% of substations of hazardous vegetation

Sustainable Energy Transformation

• Connected over 25,000 customers to Net Metering, representing 130 MW of renewable energy
• Connected an average of approximately 2,100 new Net Metering installations per month
• Completed studies to connect 844 MW of utility-scale generation projects

Transparency

• Submitted over 300,000 documents to the Legislature of Puerto Rico
• Participated in 27 hearings and technical conferences with the Puerto Rico Energy Bureau
• Submitted 3 Quarterly Reports to the Puerto Rico Energy Bureau

Emergency Preparedness

• Participated in multiple emergency preparedness tabletop exercises with internal participants and with Puerto Rico and federal agencies
• Maintained $130 million in on-hand inventory of transmission and distribution material available for daily operations and emergencies
• Trained over 1,000 field workers, from lineworkers to substation technicians, who are available to respond to serious emergencies.

“We are genuinely thankful for the incredible support and kindness our 1.5 customers have shown to our LUMA team over this past year. While some, such as UTIER, have sadly chosen to ignore the failures and challenges of the past, as well as the real positive progress made during LUMA’s first year, our amazing team of hardworking men and women are more determined than ever to build upon this progress and create a more reliable, more resilient and cleaner energy future for the people of Puerto Rico,” said Stensby. 

Challenges

Since assuming operations on June 1, 2021, the 3,000 men and women of LUMA have worked to overcome an array of operational and infrastructure challenges resulting from years – if not decades – of neglect under the past operator. The fragile nature of the energy system LUMA inherited was underscored by a video LUMA released today that provided visual examples of the damaged and fragile nature of the transmission and distribution system that LUMA inherited on June 1, 2021, and which continues to plague the energy system.

Sharing Progress with Our Customers

As part of its commitment to transparency, LUMA also announced today that it will, over the coming weeks, highlight its significant accomplishments with its 1.5 million customers through social media, digital videos and through a series of public communications and channels. 

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.