Head of Puerto Rico's electric utility resigns amid questions about slow repairs in hurricane's wake
Source: The Washington Post
By Steven Mufson and Arelis R. Hernández November 17 at 2:35 PM
The executive director of the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority resigned Friday amid questions about the slow repairs more than eight weeks after Hurricane Maria destroyed much of the electrical grid.
PREPA head Ricardo Ramos Rodríguez had come under close questioning about a $300 million contract the utility signed with the tiny Whitefish Energy firm instead of turning to larger more experienced networks of utilities that traditionally rush to aid storm-ravaged areas. The Whitefish Energy contract, whose rates were substantially higher than those paid to others, was later canceled.
Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rosselló announced the resignation, saying Ramos’s tenure in office had become “unsustainable.”
“The executive director is a professional. He has worked hard to restore the system in Puerto Rico, but understands that this is a context that has greatly distracted from what could be recovery, ” Rosselló told reporters.
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/11/17/head-of-puerto-ricos-electric-utility-resigns-amid-questions-about-slow-repairs-in-hurricanes-wake
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