|
The
explosive increase in demand for electric power
propelled the creation of a new government agency,
independent from the Department of the Interior. It
should have sufficient freedom and flexibility to
provide the necessary financing to expand the generation
system and the electric lines. Thus emerged the first
public corporation in Puerto Rico, the
Puerto Rico Water
Resources Authority (PRWRA), created by
virtue of Law #83 of May 2, 1941.
In 1945, at the end of the
war, the PRWRA purchased the Puerto Rico Railway Light
and Power Company and the Mayagüez Light Power and Ice
Company. This was possible by using part of the profits
of the first public bonds issued by the Corporation,
under the visionary direction of
Don
Antonio Lucchetti,
the founder of this public corporation. In this way, the
two main electric systems operating on the island were
integrated into one company.
The Sea Power was a
floating central of 30,000 watts, acquired in 1946 to
solve the problem of a deficiency in generation created
as a result of the increasing demand for electric power.
At that time, it was evident that the exploitation of
our hydroelectric resources had reached its maximum
capacity. The Sea Power was installed from the Puerto
Nuevo pier to the, until then, Monacillos sub-station,
through one of the first 115,000 watt lines built.
In 1946 began the
construction of the Monacillos tower. This facility was
originally used as the offices of the system operators,
and it also had a 30,000 watt sub-station. Over time
these installations have become the nerve center of our
electric system. From here, and through a sophisticated
computerized system, the production, as well as the
distribution of electric power in the entire Island, is
monitored and controlled.
Midway through the
1940's, only 12% of our rural population had electric
power. To correct the situation, the Authority began in
1946-47 a vigorous rural electrification program with
funds assigned by the Legislature and from the own
agency.
Starting in 1952, the
Authority signed a contract with the Rural
Electrification Administration of the United States to
obtain a loan that would allow it to continue providing
electric power to the countryside. A fundamental element
to accelerate the construction of electric power lines
in rural areas was the use of helicopters, an innovative
idea we owe to Engineer Julio Oms.
In 1950, the
San Juan Thermoelectric
Plant was inaugurated. It marked the
beginning of large scale electric power production in
Puerto Rico with the use of petroleum.
Next page... |
