Puerto Rico utility LUMA Energy ServCo LLC has contracted Canadian firm AtkinsRéalis Group Inc.—a world-class engineering services and nuclear company created in 1911, with offices around the world—to provide architectural and engineering design services to help strengthen and modernize the island’s electric transmission and distribution (T&D) infrastructure. The partnership seeks to improve reliability and resiliency for the island’s 1.5 million electric power customers.
LUMA operates Puerto Rico’s electric T&D on behalf of the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA). The financial terms of the contract were not disclosed.
The agreement with AtkinsRéalis focuses on permanent improvements to T&D lines and substation projects. The firm will also deliver architectural, environmental, right-of-way engineering, construction management, and project oversight services. AtkinsRéalis will also provide permitting support, environmental and historical preservation plans, design and construction phase services, public outreach, and meeting facilitation.
99 per cent of the company’s Puerto Rican team hails from the island, and this registered, licensed and experienced workforce understands the challenges and will help create solutions to carry out this critical project for their community.
AtkinsRéalis has worked in Puerto Rico since 1993 on state and federal infrastructure projects. Hurricane Maria made landfall in September 2017 as a Category 4 hurricane, which destroyed the Island’s power grid leaving most of Puerto Rico’s 3.4 million residents without electricity. Severe damage to distribution lines and flooded generators took nearly eleven months to repair, resulting in the second longest electrical blackout in world history. Then Hurricane Fiona struck the Island in 2022 damaging the network again. The firm supported the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Puerto Rico’s Department of Housing (PRDOH) in administering $1.9 billion in federal funds to survivors following these hurricanes, aiding recovery and rebuilding efforts. The company also provides design and engineering consulting services to the Puerto Rico Highway and Transportation Authority (PRHTA).
Earlier in February 2025, LUMA Energy announced plans to add almost 1 GW of renewable energy and more than 700 MW of energy storage. Its agreement with engineering and construction firm Linxon US and its partner AtkinsRéalis Caribe called for the development of nine ‘energy interconnection points’ as part of Puerto Rico’s Tranche 1 renewable procurement plan energy and transition efforts. Puerto Rico’s electric grid experienced over 100 load-shed events last year due to insufficient or sudden generation failures, as confirmed by the Puerto Rico Energy Bureau. The new renewables and energy storage installations will make the island’s grid cleaner, more resilient, and more affordable.
In a related news, Pluvia, a company based in Puerto Rico, requested clarifications from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in February 2025 on an earlier communication, where the latter determined that, in the event of transmission between the mainland US and Puerto Rico by means of undersea cables, FERC would have jurisdiction over Puerto Rico’s electric transmission. FERC had earlier also confirmed that storage constitutes transmission under the Federal Power Act (FPA). Based on these two orders, Pluvia argued that FERC should clarify whether FERC’s jurisdiction under the FPA extends to Storage As Transmission-Only Assets (SATOA) and other storage devices as well. As of end-March 2025, FERC has not yet issued an order on Pluvia’s petition.