# Puerto Rico Territory Energy Profile

Puerto Rico Quick Facts • Puerto Rico has few conventional energy resources, and sh ipped in petroleum products are the dominant energy source for the island. • In 2013, 55% of Puerto Rico’s electricity came from petroleum, 28% from natural gas, 16% from coal, and 1% from renewable energy. • In 2010, Puerto Rico was fifth among U.S. states and t erritories in installations of solar thermal hot water heaters. Two wind facilities that began operations in 2012, the Santa Isabel and Punta da Lima plants, have about 120 megawatts of capacity. In addition, up to 30 billion kil owatthours per year of electricity could potentially be generated by tapping ocean wave energy. • Puerto Rico offers tax benefits to encourage installatio n of solar equipment and allows net metering, meanin g that residents can sell power from home solar panels to the g rid. • Puerto Rico has adopted a Renewable Portfolio Stand ard requiring 20% of net electricity sales to come from renewable energy resources by 2035. Last Updated: April 16, 2015


# Data Last Update: June 18, 2015 | Next Update: July 16, 2015 

### Economy Population and Industry Puerto Rico United States Peri od Population 3.7 million 311.6 million 2011 Energy Intensity 4,230 Btu per 2005 U.S. dollar 7,328 Btu per 2005 U.S. dollar 2011 Reserves & Supply Reserves Puerto Rico United States Period Crude Oil 0 billion barrels 23 billion barrels 2011 Natural Gas Reserves 0 billion cu ft 305 billion cu ft 2011 Recoverable Coal -- 260,551 million short tons 2008 Production Puerto Rico United States Period Total Energy * 78 quadrillion Btu 2011 

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### Economy

Crude Oil 0 thousand barrels/day 8,653 thousand barrels/day 2014 Natural Gas - Marketed 0 billion cu ft 25,319 billion cu ft 2012 Coal 0 thousand short tons 1,016,458 thousand short tons 2012 Capacity Puerto Rico United States Period Crude Oil Refinery Capacity (as of Jan. 1) 0 barrels/calendar day 17,823,659 barrels/calendar day 2013 Total Electricity Installed Capacity 6 million kW 1,063 million kW 2012 Net Electricity Generation Puerto Rico United States P eriod Total Net Electricity Generation 20 billion kWh 4,048 billion kWh 2012 Petroleum, Natural Gas, and Coal Net Electricity Generation 20 billion kWh 2,775 billion kWh 2012 Total Electricity Generation from Renewable Sources * 508 billion kWh 2012

» Hydroelectric * 276 billion kWh 2012

» Other Renewables 0 billion kWh 232 billion kWh 2012 Production Facilities Puerto Rico Major Coal Mines None Petroleum Refineries Shell Chem Yabucoa Inc (Yabucoa) Major Non-Nuclear Electricity Generating Plants Aguirre (Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority) ; Arecibo(Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority) ; Caonillas 1 (Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority) ; Central Palo Seco (Puerto Rico Elect ric Power Authority) ; Costa Sur (Puerto Rico Electric Power Autho rity) ; Dos Bocas (Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority) ; EcoElectrica (EcoElectrica) ; Garzas 1 (Puerto Rico Electric Power Autho rity) ; Garzas 2 (Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority) ; Guayama (AES Puerto Rico) ; Rio Blanco (Puerto Rico Electric Power Au thority) ; San Juan Plant (Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority) ; Toro Negro 1 (Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority) ; Yauco 1 (Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority) ; Yauco 2 (Puerto Rico Ele ctric Power Authority) Nuclear Power Plants None Imports & Exports Total Imports Puerto Rico United States Period Crude Oil Imports 0 thousand barrels/day 9,213 thousand barrels/day 2010 Total Petroleum Product Imports 176 thousand barrels/day 2,580 thousand barrels/day 2010

» Motor Gasoline Imports 48 thousand barrels/day 134 thousand barrels/day 2010

» Jet Fuel Imports 10 thousand barrels/day 98 thousand barrels/day 2010 

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### Economy

» Kerosene Imports 1 thousand barrels/day 2 thousand barrels/day 2010

» Distillate Fuel Imports 28 thousand barrels/day 228 thousand barrels/day 2010

» Residual Fuel Imports 60 thousand barrels/day 366 thousand barrels/day 2010

» Liquefied Petroleum Gas Imports 4 thousand barrels/day 179 thousand barrels/day 2010

» Other Petroleum Products Imports 26 thousand barrels/day 1,572 thousand barrels/day 2010 Natural Gas Imports 48 billion cu ft 3,138 billion cu ft 2012 Coal Imports 1,653 thousand short tons 10,294 thousand short tons 2012 Total Exports Puerto Rico United States Period Crude Oil Exports 0 thousand barrels/day 42 thousand barrels/day 2010 Total Petroleum Product Exports 0 thousand barrels/day 2,311 thousand barrels/day 2010

» Motor Gasoline Exports 0 thousand barrels/day 296 thousand barrels/day 2010

» Jet Fuel Exports 0 thousand barrels/day 84 thousand barrels/day 2010

» Kerosene Exports 0 thousand barrels/day 1 thousand barrels/day 2010

» Distillate Fuel Exports 0 thousand barrels/day 656 thousand barrels/day 2010

» Residual Fuel Exports 0 thousand barrels/day 405 thousand barrels/day 2010

» Liquefied Petroleum Gas Exports 0 thousand barrels/day 164 thousand barrels/day 2010

» Other Petroleum Products Exports 0 thousand barrels/day 705 thousand barrels/day 2010 Natural Gas Exports 0 billion cu ft 1,619 billion cu ft 2012 Coal Exports 0 thousand short tons 126,720 thousand short tons 2012 Distribution & Marketing Distribution Centers Puerto Rico Oil Seaports/Oil Import Sites Guayanilla ; Humacao ; Sa n Juan Natural Gas Market Centers None Major Pipelines None Consumption per Capita Puerto Rico United States Period Total Energy 98 million Btu/person 313 million Btu/person 2011 by Source Puerto Rico United States Period Total Energy * 95 quadrillion Btu 2012 Total Petroleum Products 176.0 thousand barrels/day 19,180.1 thousand barrels/day 2010

» Motor Gasoline 48.0 thousand barrels/day 8,992.7 thousand barrels/day 20 10 

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### Economy

» Distillate Fuel 28.0 thousand barrels/day 3,800.3 thousand barrels/day 20 10

» Liquefied Petroleum Gases 3.5 thousand barrels/day 2,265.3 thousand barrels/day 201 0

» Jet Fuel 10.0 thousand barrels/day 1,431.6 thousand barrels/day 20 10

» Kerosene 1 thousand barrels/day 20 thousand barrels/day 2010

» Residual Fuel 60 thousand barrels/day 535 thousand barrels/day 2010

» Other Petroleum Products 26 Thousand Barrels/Day 2,135 Thousand Barrels/Day 2010 Natural Gas 48 Billion cu ft 25,533 Billion cu ft 2012 Coal 1,653 Thousand Short Tons 889,185 Thousand Short Tons 2012
Carbon Dioxide Emissions by Source Puerto Rico United States Period Total Fossil Fuels 27 million metric tons 5,270 million metric tons 2012 Petroleum 16 million metric tons 2,269 million metric tons 2013 Natural Gas 3 million metric tons 1,374 million metric tons 2012 Coal 4 million metric tons 1,656 million metric tons 2012 

# Analysis Last Updated: April 16, 2015 

# Overview The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico consists of the easternmo st islands of the Greater Antilles in the Caribbean Sea, southeast of Fl orida. The commonwealth's main island, Puerto Rico, has coastal plains, sandy beaches, and a forested and mountainous interior, with the highest peak exceeding 4, 000 feet. Rivers flowing down the mountains offer hydropower potential. The t ropical marine climate has little seasonal variation; temperatures average about 8 0 degrees Fahrenheit all year. The hurricane season runs from June to November. The population is concentrated on Puerto Rico, with smaller populations on Vieques and Culebra. There are smaller uninhabited islands scattered around t he main island. The commonwealth’s population has been close to 4 million, but it is decreasing. Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens, and emigration, primari ly to the U.S. mainland, increased in the recent recession. Agriculture, mainly sugar cane, dominated Puerto Rico's e conomy until the middle of the 20th century. Although r um is still produced, sugar cane is no longer raised in PuertoRico, and agriculture has become a minor part of the economy. Manufacturing leads the private sector, with industries th at include pharmaceuticals and medical devices, electronics, aviation, and renewable energy. Manufacturing has been attracted to Puerto Rico in part by special federal and commonwealth tax benefits. Tourism is also important to t he economy, as is the islands' government, which employs nearly one in three workers. 

# Puerto Ricans use less than two-fifths the energy per capita that mainland Americans use.

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7/ 15/2015 http://www.eia.gov/state/print.cfm?sid=RQPuerto Rico produces no conventional fuels. Like most Cari bbean islands, the commonwealth relies heavily on import ed

petroleum to meet its energy needs. On average, the isla nds' residents use much less energy than mainland consumers. Typically, Puerto Rico's energy intensity is slightly more t han two-thirds of U.S. energy intensity, and the terri tory's energy consumption per capita is less than two-fifths of U.S. con sumption. 

# Petroleum About four-fifths of the energy used in Puerto Rico come s from petroleum. The islands neither produce nor refin e petroleum, so all petroleum products are imported, ship ped in principally through the ports of San Juan, Guaya nilla, Fajardo, and Ponce. The last of Puerto Rico's five petroleum refineries, located at Yabucoa, was shut down in 2 009, joining four other island refineries that were closed between 1992 and 2005. Storage and shipping facilitie s on the Yabucoa site continue to be used as a refined products t erminal. Residual fuel oil comprises about one-third of Puerto Rico’s imports and motor gasoline about one-fourth. Oth er petroleum products imported include jet fuel, distil late fuels, and small amounts of liquefied petroleum fuels and kero sene. The electric power and transportation sectors are the i slands’ largest petroleum consumers. About two-thirds of petroleum-based electricity generating capacity is fired wi th No. 6 residual fuel oil and one-third with No. 2 diesel fuel. The commonwealth’s utility is considering substituting prop ane at two generating plants to reduce fuel costs and emissions. Puerto Rico allows use of conventional motor gaso line. Despite the commonwealth's low total energy consumption, Puerto Rico's per capita petroleum consumpt ion is about 70% of the U.S. average, primarily because of its dependence on residual fuel oil and diesel fuel for tw o-thirds of the islands' electricity. 

# Natural gas Puerto Rico does not produce natural gas. All natural g as is imported as liquefied natural gas (LNG) through the Peñuelas terminal and regasification facility at Guayanilla Bay on the southwestern coast. The facility was b uilt to supply the adjacent 540-megawatt EcoEléctrica generating plant. L NG is imported mainly from Trinidad and Tobago. Natural gas is consumed only i n electricity production, and Puerto Rico's per capita natural gas consumption is le ss than one-sixth of the U.S. average. However, LNG imports are increasing to sup port the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority’s (PREPA) plans to convert oil-fired generating stations to dual-fuel capability with natural gas, in order to low er fuel costs and meet federal emissions standards. The first conversion, the Costa Sur (So uth Coast) station in Guayanilla, is being supplied with natural gas from the Peñuelas terminal. That terminal is also planning a truck loading facility so thatLNG can be used in transportation. PREPA plans originally called for a pipeline to take na tural gas from the Peñuelas terminal to the north coast , where three PREPA oil-fired generating stations are located. But public opposition arose to routing the pipeline t hrough Puerto Rico’s rugged central mountains, and the plan was droppe d after officials found the terminal could not handle all of PREPA's expected natural gas needs. PREPA has now contract ed for installation of a floating terminal with rega sification capability four miles offshore from the Aguirre generat ing station on the southern coast. PREPA has considered transporting natural gas from the Aguirre terminal toits three north coast generating plants or building a second LNG terminal on the north coast. 

# Coal Puerto Rico produces no coal. The island has one coal-fired electricity generating plant, at Guayama. The plant uses circulating fluidized-bed combustion and began operation in 2002. Typically, 1.6 million short tons of coal areimported annually from Colombia to supply the 454-megawatt plan t. Ash from coal combustion is recycled on site into a part ially solidified aggregate that is used in asphalt and concre te for road construction and other applications. 

# Puerto Rico is increasing LNG imports to displace petroleum in electricity generation. Page 5 of 8 Puerto Rico Profile

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# Electricity

Puerto Rico's electricity is supplied by PREPA, a governmentagency that owns the electric distribution system for the main island, Vieq ues, and Culebra, as well as all but two generating stations. PREPA (in Spanish, Autoridad de Energía Eléctrica, or AEE) was founded in the 1920s as a governm ent irrigation system, but its responsibilities grew over the years to encompass isl and electrification. Puerto Rico has been obtaining two-thirds of its electr icity from petroleum, generated mainly at six PREPA stations with steam turbine s, combustion turbines, and/or combined cycle technology. The balance of PREPA’s po wer supply was almost evenly divided between natural gas and coal generation, provided by two independent power producers, plus a small fraction from hydroelectric generators. In 2013, with the Costa Sur conversion, natural gas supp lied 28% of electricity, and petroleum supplied 55%. High world petroleum prices have driven typical Puerto R ico power prices to two to three times the U.S. average, and PREPA has planned toadd natural gas capability at its five largest petroleum -burning plants. The first natural gas conversion, at the Costa S ur (South Coast) station in Guayanilla, is operating, but other conversions depend on construction of LNG import terminals and natural gas distribution infrastructure. Plans are proceeding for conversion of PREPA’s largest generator, Aguirre, to use LNG supplied by a floating off-shore t erminal. But PREPA, faced with a high debt load and a difficul t island economy, is considering conversion to propane as a faster way to reduce fuel costs and emissions at its two San Juan-area plants, San Juan and Palo Seco. Puerto Rico, the nearby U.S. Virgin Islands, and U.S. federal agencies are exploring the potential for connect ing the isolated island grids with each other and with other Ca ribbean islands, with an eye toward a possible Caribbea n-wide grid. A wider grid could lower costs and enable the use of more renewable energy. PREPA typically gets nearly hal f its electricity revenues from commercial sector consumption and sl ightly more than one-third from residential consumptio n. Per capita, Puerto Rico's electricity consumption is about two-fifths the U.S. average. 

# Renewable energy Puerto Rico has enacted a Renewable Energy Portfolio St andard requiring PREPA to get 12% of its electricity from renewable sources starting in 2015, scaling up to 15% by 2020 and 20% by 2035. Technologies meeting the standard include hydroelectric, solar photovoltaic (PV), wind, geot hermal, biomass including municipal solid waste, and oce an and tidal energy generation. In 2011, only about 1% of P uerto Rico's electricity came from renewable energy sources, all from hydroelectricity. Puerto Rico has 21 hydroelectric generatin g units, which were built beginning in 1915 and are si ted on reservoirs that often supply drinking and irrigation wate r as well as electricity. To meet the renewable electricity standard, PREPA is focu sing on wind, solar, and waste-to-energy projects. The utility has signed long-term power purchase agreements with renewable energy developers for about 1,000 megawatts of renewable capacity The first of those utility-scale renew able energy projects began operating in 2012. A 24-megawatt solar PV plan t at Guayama, and a 26- megawatt solar PV plant at Loiza initiated operations. A 95-megawatt wind farm at Santa Isabel became both Puerto Rico's first operating wind generator and the largest wind facility in the Caribbean. A 23-megawatt wind project at Punta de Lima, Naguabo, also started up in 2012. More than 40 0 megawatts of solar PV are in development, and, in 2014, PREPA renegotiated con tracts for six large-scale solar projects to reduce power purchase costs and to require energy storage equal to 30% of project capacity. Some 250 megawatts of wind power are also in 

# The cost of

imported petroleum has driven Puerto Rico power prices to more than twice the U.S. average.

Puerto Rico is focusing on wind, solar, and waste-to-energy projects to fill its renewable energy portfolio.

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7/ 15/2015 http://www.eia.gov/state/print.cfm?sid=RQdevelopment, although studies to date show Puerto Rico has limited potential for large-scale wind projects.

Taking advantage of the tropical sun, Puerto Rico has beco me a U.S. leader in distributed solar applications, in cluding solar hot water heaters and PV. The government has used weatherization assistance programs to install more than 11,000 solar hot water heaters. Those appliances, along with tax benefits to small-scale PV electricity projects, ha ve reduced electric demand by more than 40 megawatts. No municipal solid waste or other waste-to-energy facili ties have yet been built, but PREPA has signed more than a dozen power purchase agreements with developers. Many of those facilities have run into local opposition, but wa ste-toenergy projects have taken on new urgency since the Puerto Rico Environmental Quality Board issued orders in 2014 that could shut many of the island's landfills. For the l onger term, Puerto Rico has been exploring the use of biofuels, primarily those derived from agricultural wastes, and is investigating technologies that could harvest energy from the waves, currents, and ocean depths surrounding the island. 

# Other Resources **Energy-Related Regions and Organizations**

• Petroleum Administration for Defense District (PADD) : 6 

### Other Websites

• Public Service Commission, Comision de Servicio Publico

• Department of Natural Resources and Environment, Depart mento de Recursos Naturales y Ambientales

• Puerto Rico Energy Affairs Administration, Administracio n de Asuntos Energeticos

• Weatherization Assistance Program, Energy Affairs Administ ration, Administracion de Asuntos Energeticos

• Family Socioeconomic Development Administration, Administ racion de Desarrollo Socioeconomico de la Familia

• Puerto Rico Infrastructure Financing Authority

• Alternative Fuels and Advanced Vehicle Data Center - Fed eral and State Incentives and Laws

• DSIRE - Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency

• National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (N ARUC)

• National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO)

• National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL)-Issues a nd Research - News Highlights: Issues and Research - Energy

• National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)-Dynamic Map s, Geographic Information System (GIS) Data and Analysis Tools - Maps

• U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Maps, Imagery, and Publica tions - Maps

• Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

• Fondo de Energi-a Verde (Green Energy Fund)

• United States Department of Health and Human Services - Administration for Children and Families - Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program Email suggestions for additional Puerto Rico website reso urces to: states@eia.gov

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