prma supports luma EnErgy

Private Sector Supports Luma Energy Transformation

Affirms that resilient energy will improve ease of doing business

Giovanna Garofalo

ggarofalo@wjournalpr.com @giopgarofalo

Puerto Rico’s manufacturing sector is optimistic about LUMA Energy’s takeover of the energy transmission and distribution from the P.R. Electric Power Authority (PREPA), with hopes that the proper implementation of the provisions contained in the public-private partnership (PPP) contract will improve the ease of doing business on the island.

Yandia Pérez, the executive VP of the Puerto Rico Manufacturers Association (PRMA), asserted that the industry has made multimillion-dollar investments to establish their own generators and backup systems because the island’s energy infrastructure is not reliable, a problem exacerbated by the hurricanes of 2017. “You cannot stop a drug production line, for example, so the manufacturing sector has seen the need to have an alternate plan for them to keep their plants open,” she explained. Pérez expressed confidence that LUMA will take the necessary steps to improve this infrastructure and pave the way toward renewable energy sources. “Basically, understanding that this is an important contract for Puerto Rico and that there is already a transition process, we understand that this transition process has to take place in the best possible way to ensure that all the conditions that were established there are met,” she told THE WEEKLY JOURNAL.

Asked whether this transformation is expected to result in more prosperity for the industry, the executive said that “this factor is an important one within the considerations that exist in the sector regarding investing in Puerto Rico or expanding. It is an important cost for companies, any type of company. And not just the cost, but the reliability... If the existing plan is properly implemented, Puerto Rico will have a better [electrical] system and it will definitely make companies feel safer doing business here, or those that want to come.”

Pérez was echoed by Tomás Ramírez, VP of the Puerto Rico Parador Owners Association, who said that the island needs a more “efficient, agile and effective” energy sector, which is why he supports

LUMA reported that it has restored electricity to 674,000 customers in its first week of operations. >Courtesy of LUMA Energy

privatizing PREPA. However, he added that “despite the support for privatization, I have serious concerns about how the transition process has been carried out.”

Meanwhile, Iván Báez, president of the Retail Trade Association (Acdet by its Spanish acronym) and director of Public Affairs at Walmart Puerto Rico, said that Acdet sent a letter to LUMA executives requesting a meeting to discuss how the new PPP deal benefits or affects the commercial sector. “We need to clarify several doubts and we do not have a formed opinion of how efficient or effective the service is until we meet with them. We are in the middle of the hurricane season and our stores help to stabilize the population in times of crisis, so we need to know what the work plan for emergency management is,” he added.

Defends LUMA Amid Protests

Moreover, Pérez defended the agreement that led to LUMA’s control of PREPA’s transmission and distribution system. While various sectors continue protesting against the contract, claiming that it will have detrimental effects on clients and PREPA union workers, she observed that the government accepted several proposals to transform Puerto Rico’s energy system in accordance with the Puerto Rico Energy Public Policy Act of 2019.

“The necessary process was taken for [the government] to conclude that LUMA was the company that could best offer or meet the requirements that were made. Therefore, if that process has already been endorsed, that process has already concluded and LUMA was chosen, then it is very important for us that this contract is fulfilled and implemented.

“Our expectation is that LUMA can comply with the plan, the proposal and the requirements that it said it could meet in that contract, and ensure that there is communication with all the agencies that prevent this contract from being fulfilled. This, plus the metrics necessary for the contract to work, results in us having a stable and economically viable electricity system for all consumers and users in Puerto Rico,” Pérez added.

Some arguments from opponents are that LUMA would raise the energy rates and impose a “solar tax” on clients who generate their own power through solar energy. However, Pérez said that any increase needs to be approved by the Puerto Rico Energy Bureau and is likely to be susceptible to factors such as rising fuel costs. Meanwhile, LUMA had stated that it would raise rates to handle litigations related to the utility’s bankruptcy process but denied arbitrary hikes. As for the solar tax, this measure had been proposed by the Financial Oversight and Management Board as part of PREPA’s Restructuring Support Agreement, before LUMA took over transmission and distribution. -Reporter Christian Ramos contributed to this story.

By Ricardo Álvarez-Díaz,

Licensed Architect, and Co-founder of Álvarez-Díaz & Villalón www.advfirm.com

Resilient Placemaking for Communities and Cities

Resilient placemaking is an essential design and planning tool to build smarter, resilient city infrastructure, and enhance disaster preparedness and crisis management. As Puerto Rico finally begins the true phase of reconstruction, it is important to do so with a resilient placemaking-design focus. Placemaking is a people-centric approach to the planning, design and management of public spaces to create areas that promote health, well-being and happiness. It capitalizes local assets and resources to strengthen communities and improve the resilience of cities.

Placemaking focuses on the needs of the people who live, work and play in an area, using the public spaces in a development or neighborhood to encourage greater social interaction, foster healthier relationships and improve the economic viability of the community. Public spaces can bring different people, activities and events together where everyone can see them, interact with them, and play a part in their community’s story. Placemaking bridges the gap between person and public space, transforming disconnected neighbors into booming human and civic networks and disorganized neighborhoods into resilient, thriving cities. Community spaces can also establish and maintain support networks between residents and those from other communities, as well as service providers, city officials, churches and volunteers, thus elevating the resilience of the city.

Among these places are community centers, dining rooms, parks and playgrounds, gardens, game courts and meeting rooms. Spaces that support social gatherings and facilitate the exchange of information among residents are fertile ground for growing meaningful relationships and building community resilience. During a disaster or emergency, your community resilience space can serve as a neighborhood hub where members of your surrounding communities can receive critical information, potable water, food and medical services. We cannot create resilient cities without building resilient communities, and we cannot build resilient communities without employing good placemaking techniques to create spaces where communities can grow and prosper. Applying these design principles to any new development allows residents to cope with challenges like the persistence of economic struggle, the dangerous inconsistencies of a changing climate, the impacts of urban violence and the menace of dysfunctional governance. It can also serve as a platform for the development of positive social systems, employment opportunities, education, security, transportation and access to vital resources that enrich residents’ lives and improve city resiliency. The key to a true resilient placemaking plan is its community. When you include people in the process of creating their own public spaces, you help establish and foster person-place relationships that produce resilient cities capable of adapting to change and recover from natural and man-made disasters. People who feel like they “belong” and that they have a say in how their city is shaped are more likely to put the time and effort involved in protecting it from disaster and helping each other during the aftermath. At the core of every resilient city is a connection between people and space. Without this bond, people do not feel compelled to invest in the place where they live or work. By using placemaking principles to create quality public places, architects, developers and urban planners can influence the way people connect, live and thrive.

In Old San Juan, plazas serve as important public spaces that support social gatherings and facilitate the exchange of information among residents and visitors. >Josian E. Bruno Gómez

>Courtesy of The St. Regis Bahía Beach Resort

How Are You Feeling?

Tips to help you check-in with your mind and body

Women’s Wellness

Checking in with your mental, emotional, spiritual and physical self is an important way to purposefully direct your attention during the day - if you don’t know where you’re starting, how can you mindfully move forward?

The more you intentionally check-in with yourself as part of a routine, the easier it will become – you’ll eventually perform these checkins without even knowing it! If you’re new to these routines, here are five simple ways to start incorporating them into your day.

Morning or Evening Journal

Having too many thoughts swirling around in your head can make focusing on a specific one difficult. It’s hard to identify your goals for the day and check-in on your mental state when you have so much on your mind. A great way to disarm this overwhelming feeling and check-in with yourself is to establish a morning journaling routine. First thing every morning, sit down and write three pages; there isn’t a structure to these pages or thoughts, just whatever comes to mind gets written on the page. After you’ve finished, read back through your notes and highlight or circle words that seem to appear frequently (common ones might be emotions, specific tasks, etc.). These repetitive ideas give you some insight into your current mental state for the day and will allow you to develop a focus.

Be mindful of the beauty around us. >Courtesy of Bacardi

Alternatively, write a journal at the end of the day. Review how your day went, your state of mind, and your emotions, as above. You could even jot down your goals for the next day to help you wake up with a renewed focus and a fresh start.

Emotional Wellness Checklist

Checking in on your emotional state throughout the day is an integral part of mindfulness, and knowing what feelings are most prevalent can allow you to focus your time and effort in a way that works with those feelings rather than against them.

If you’d like some structure in your emotional checklist, think about these issues and write about them in your journal: • Develop a positive outlook by remembering your good deeds; forgiving yourself and developing healthy habits. • Manage stress by getting enough sleep, exercising regularly and having a social support network. • Strengthen social connections by spending positive time with family and friends; take a class to learn something new, join a book club or volunteer at a local nonprofit.

Full of aspirational practices and goals for emotional wellness in areas like social relationships and sleep, a checklist can help you focus on one or two items each day. Start your morning by reading through the checklist; choose one or two that you can direct your energy towards for the remainder of the day. You may be surprised how much your checklist changes from day to day!

Affirmation List

Using affirmations in your mindfulness practice is a great way to intentionally direct your energy and start your day from a position of strength. Affirmations can also be used to check-in with your mental, emotional, and spiritual states. Begin by writing/choosing a set of affirmations that you’ll repeat daily (For example: I believe in myself. I choose to be happy. I am at peace.). Practice saying them to yourself with a calm, positive resolve – the most important part of an affirmation is that you believe it! Every day, notice which affirmation(s) is hardest for you to believe; perhaps you speak one more quietly than the others or catch yourself mentally rolling your eyes as you say it. That affirmation will give you a clue into your current state of mind and allow you to direct your energy to rebuild that belief throughout the day.

With these exercises, you’ll be able to easily check-in with your entire self every day so that you can mindfully move towards personal success!

18th Century Graveyard Found at Former Caribbean Plantation

Remains of slaves on the Dutch island of St. Eustatius

The Associated Press

An 18th century burial ground has been discovered at a former sugar plantation on the Dutch Caribbean island of St. Eustatius, officials said, and archaeologists said it likely contains the remains of slaves and could provide a trove of information on the lives as enslaved people. Government officials said 48 skeletons had been found at the site so far, most of them males, but also some females and infants.

Alexandre Hinton, the director of the St. Eustatius Center for Archaeological Research, said many more remains were expected to lie in the graves at the former Golden Rock Plantation.

“We are predicting that the number of individuals buried here will surpass the burial site discovered at Newton Plantation on Barbados, where 104 enslaved Africans were excavated. This is one of the largest sites of its kind ever discovered in the Caribbean,” she said.

Authorities said the site was found while archeologists checked an area needed for expansion of an airport.

“We knew the potential for archaeological discoveries in this area was high, but this cemetery exceeds all expectations,” Hinton said.

Given the location near the former plantation, Hinton said the graves most likely contain the remains of enslaved people.

“Initial analysis indicates that these are people of African descent,” she said. “To date, we have found two individuals with dental modification that is a West African custom. Typically plantation owners did not allow enslaved persons to do this. These individuals are thus most likely first generation enslaved people who were shipped to St. Eustatius.”

The majority of the burials contain remnants of coffins, coffin nails and objects that were buried with the deceased, such as several intact tobacco pipes, beads and ceramic plates. A coin from 1737 depicting King George II of England was found resting on a coffin lid.

Experts at several universities around the world will analyze the remains to learn more about the lives of the buried individuals.

Hinton said Leiden University in the Netherlands will conduct “stable isotope analysis” to determine the peoples’ diets as well as whether they were born on the island. Harvard will do DNA analysis to find where the people came from, and England’s Northumbria University will do protein studies to discover what diseases they might have suffered.

One of the most important outcomes of the research will be a more thorough understanding of the lives of slaves in the Caribbean. Most of what is known about their lives comes from the writings of people in power, such as colonial administrators and plantation owners, sources that can be biased or incomplete.

St. Eustatius, which lies in northeastern part of the Caribbean, was colonized by the Dutch in 1636 and became an important transit port for the regional trade in sugar and slaves from West Africa.

Archaeologists excavate in the former Golden Rock plantation west of the international Airport in Oranjestad, on the Dutch Caribbean island of St. Eustatius, on the Leeward Islands. >AP Photo/Tim van Dijk

An archaeologist shows a coin found on top of the remains of an enslaved man, dated 1737, at the former Golden Rock plantation on the Dutch Caribbean island of St. Eustatius. >AP Photo/Tim van Dijk

The skull of what is believed to be an enslaved man sits in the ground at an excavation in the former Golden Rock plantation on the Dutch Caribbean island of St. Eustatius. According to specialists, the filed teeth are an indication that this man belonged to the first generation of slaves from Africa, because filing teeth was forbidden by slave owners. >St. Eustatius Center for Archaeological Research via AP