The U.S. Department of Energy on Feb. 10 renewed two emergency orders to further strengthen Puerto Rico’s electric grid as the island prepares for rising energy demand and the 2026 hurricane season.
Building on actions taken in May, August, and November 2025, the renewed orders authorize the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority to dispatch generation units essential for maintaining critical generation capacity, while accelerating vegetation management to reduce outages, strengthen long-term grid reliability, and minimize the cost of blackouts.
DOE’s emergency actions have assisted the Puerto Rican government in restoring up to 820 megawatts of baseload generation capacity in Puerto Rico, resulting in an increase to the island’s systemwide generation capacity to 6,460 MW. Several plants were able to run without water injection during a water crisis, ensuring electricity kept flowing to Puerto Ricans despite unforeseen circumstances, DOE said.
The orders also address vegetation management issues near high-voltage lines. Falling tree limbs or brush during Puerto Rico’s frequent storms and high winds can damage transmission lines, cause widespread outages and potentially cause wildfires, DOE said.
The renewed emergency orders take effect February 10, 2026, through May 11, 2026.
On May 16, 2025, DOE issued two emergency orders to PREPA under Section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act that allowed specific generation units to operate under certain conditions while directing vegetation management along key transmission lines. DOE renewed these orders on August 15 and November 12, 2025.
