Judge orders June 7 hearing on IEEFA/CAMBIO demand for release of documents related to PREPA-Puerto Rico electric system

June 5, 2019 (PUERTO RICO) – An urgent hearing will take place Friday, June 7^th, at the Court of First Instance in San Juan to determine the next steps on the motion filed by CAMBIO and the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) demanding that the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) produce public documents regarding its privatization, as well as key electrical system data. The decision of Judge Anthony Cuevas Ramos follows the third legal motion filed by PREPA in less than two weeks to walk back the agreement to produce important documents.

“PREPA’s insistence on hiding details from the public about privatization and the energy future of Puerto Rico seems suspicious. Every month, we see the result of PREPA’s decisions on our electricity bills. It is, therefore, essential that the studies and evaluations be made public regarding the decision to privatize PREPA and the impacts that this will have. However, despite the policy of transparency that it proclaims, PREPA uses all of its resources to hide from citizens the public information that they have a right to access,” said Ingrid M. Vila Biaggi, founder and president of CAMBIO.

Cathy Kunkel, energy analyst for IEEFA, added that, “PREPA’s refusal to provide public documents is particularly worrisome given that they are saying that they can achieve significant savings to compensate for the rate increase in the proposed bond deal. Why will they not provide public documents to back up these claims?”

Original press release in Spanish: Juez ordena vista urgente este viernes sobre reclamo de CAMBIO y el IEEFA para que la AEE entregue documentos públicos

Cathy Kunkel ([email protected]) is an IEEFA energy analyst.

Ingrid M. Vila Biaggi ([email protected]) is a civil engineer and founder of CAMBIO P.R.

Media contact

Vivienne Heston ([email protected]), +1 (914) 439-8921 

About IEEFA

The Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) conducts research and analyses on financial and economic issues related to energy and the environment. The Institute’s mission is to accelerate the transition to a diverse, sustainable and profitable energy economy.

About CAMBIO P.R.

CAMBIO promotes sustainable and responsible actions for Puerto Rico through awareness, education, capacity-building, and support to communities as well as research, design and implementation of policies and strategies.