2024-07-26 19:32:01
SAN JUAN (AP) — Puerto Rico’s Finance Commission filed a lawsuit Friday challenging an amendment to the net energy metering law that compensates solar-equipped homes for their contributions to the grid, sparking a backlash.
The Financial Oversight and Management Council said the lawsuit against Gov. Pedro Pierluisi was aimed at protecting the agency’s independence so that it “can continue to operate free from political influence.”
The commission said it was not seeking an end to so-called net metering and would not change the net metering program. He noted that if the lawsuit is successful, the island’s current plans for rooftop solar panels will not change.
A spokesman for Pierre-Louis said the governor was analyzing the lawsuit and would respond soon.
In April, the commission ordered Pierluisi and the Puerto Rico Legislature to amend or repeal the law, which prohibits the Energy Agency from making changes to the net metering program until at least 2031.
The law also requires the Bureau of Energy to comply with the program’s current conditions for 20 years, meaning many customers will maintain those conditions until at least 2051, the lawsuit said.
“The government failed to act in a prudent and fiscally responsible manner in enacting the law,” the lawsuit states.
While most U.S. net metering plans offer reduced credits, Puerto Rico’s excess energy is credited on a one-for-one basis.
The lawsuit states that net metering conditions will affect demand for PREPA services “because higher net metering rates may incentivize more customers to switch to distributed generation.”
He said the net metering program also had a direct impact on PREPA’s revenue as the company struggled to restructure a debt load of more than $9 billion while facing creditors seeking to recoup their investments.
The Energy Agency currently has a draft study analyzing the island’s net metering plans and recommending a public debate. If the office decides to make changes to the program, it would have until 2031 to do so.
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