FEMA Spends $35 Million on Generators in Puerto Rico That Engineers Say Aren't Even Needed
- Money allocated to rent equipment to replace key power plant
- Engineers question why plant’s own infrastructure is left idle
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The Federal Emergency Management Agency spent $35.1 million on renting two emergency generators to help power blacked-out San Juan, Puerto Rico. But a group of engineers says existing infrastructure could have been used more effectively at a fraction of the cost.
The mobile turbine generators, fully connected as of last week, bring some 50 megawatts to the partially idled Palo Seco plant west of the capital. That’s intended to stabilize power supply, at least in neighborhoods where distribution lines are intact.