NEPR Approves Record Rate Hike to 34.6 Cents per kWh: Power Bills Rise This Thursday

The Puerto Rico Energy Bureau (NEPR) has authorized a rate adjustment that will push electricity costs to a record 34.6 cents per kilowatt-hour starting this Thursday, October 1, surpassing the previous high of 33.4 cents set in July 2022 ¹. The hike, roughly a 21% jump in the fuel and purchased-power adjustment component, lands just as many households are still paying off their summer bills.

The background

This isn't a routine bump. Genera PR, the company operating power plants under contract with the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA), reported to LUMA Energy about $32 million in extraordinary diesel costs during the June-to-August quarter ¹. The breakdown includes $15.4 million from San Juan units 5 and 6 and $2.2 million from Palo Seco's temporary units and the MobilePac system, plus additional costs tied to the Costa Sur plant's fuel supply ¹.

The root cause is a natural gas shortage. The tanker Amur River, which carries New Fortress Energy's gas shipments, has spent weeks unable to enter San Juan Bay because of a dispute with Puerto Rico's harbor pilots over the vessel's dimensions ¹. Without that gas, plants have had to burn far more expensive diesel to keep the system running — and that diesel got even pricier because of the Iran-Israel conflict, which briefly closed the Strait of Hormuz and drove diesel prices up 76% since hostilities began ¹.

The numbers you need to know

Metro Puerto Rico reported Monday that the total cost to consumers from the natural gas crisis tops $80 million, split into two categories ². The first is roughly $14 million spent buying 95,000 barrels of diesel and Type C fuel to replace the gas that never arrived ². The second, larger piece is about $67 million in charges from New Fortress Energy for gas that was never delivered, under a take-or-pay clause that guarantees the company payment for a minimum of 40 trillion BTU (TBtu) a year regardless of delivery ². Given the current shortfall, the gap could reach 5.7 TBtu.

NEPR president Edison Avilés Deliz flagged the contradiction during the hearing: the system doesn't have enough gas to generate power, yet New Fortress keeps racking up tens of millions in charges for gas it never delivered, with no financial consequence until a court resolves the pilots' dispute ¹². Avilés also pointed to a structural conflict of interest: Genera PR, a New Fortress subsidiary, is the one verifying its own parent company's gas deliveries — so the regulator will now demand independent audits and third-party meter calibration checks ². The supply contract is administered by the Independent Procurement Office (3PPO) ².

What this means for you

If your bill was already high from summer usage, brace for another hit in the billing cycle that starts this Thursday. At the new record of 34.6 cents per kWh, a household using around 800 kWh a month could see the generation portion of its bill climb by dozens of dollars compared to the prior month, depending on your exact meter-reading cycle. The increase applies to the fuel and purchased-power adjustment charge — the most variable part of your bill — not the fixed base charge.

How to do it / Checklist

1. Check your meter reading date on your latest LUMA bill to know whether the new charge hits your current cycle or the next one.
2. Cut back on high-draw appliances (A/C, electric water heater, dryer) between 6:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m., when system demand peaks.
3. If you have a payment plan or outstanding balance with LUMA, call 1-844-888-5862 before it stacks on top of the new charge.
4. Pull your hourly usage history at luma.energy.com or through the LUMA app to spot where you can trim consumption.
5. If you qualify by income, ask your local LUMA office about the Bill Assistance Program for low-income customers.
6. Keep a copy of your October bill — if the adjustment turns out to be miscalculated, you'll need it as evidence for a complaint filed with NEPR.

What comes next

NEPR said it will require Genera PR and New Fortress Energy to submit delivery records and meter calibration data for an independent audit, a process that could take weeks ². Meanwhile, the dispute between San Juan's harbor pilots and the Amur River tanker remains unresolved in the courts, meaning the system's reliance on costly diesel — and its price tag — could stretch into the next billing cycles if natural gas supply doesn't return to normal ¹. NEPR has not yet said whether it will fine Genera PR over the conflict of interest in verifying its own deliveries.

Sources

1. El Nuevo Día, "El costo por el uso del diésel está al centro del ajuste en la tarifa que aplicará desde el jueves" — https://www.elnuevodia.com/noticias/locales/notas/el-costo-por-el-uso-del-diesel-esta-al-centro-del-ajuste-en-la-tarifa-que-aplicara-desde-el-jueves/
2. Metro Puerto Rico, "Crisis del gas natural podría costarles más de $80 millones a los consumidores entre diésel y cargos a New Fortress" — https://www.metro.pr/noticias/2026/09/29/crisis-del-gas-natural-podria-costarles-mas-de-80-millones-a-los-consumidores-entre-diesel-y-cargos-a-new-fortress/
3. Periódico La Perla, "De aprobarse el ajuste de LUMA, el kilovatio rompería su récord: 34.6 centavos" — https://www.periodicolaperla.com/economia/de-aprobarse-el-ajuste-de-luma-el-kilovatio-romperia-su-record-34-6-centavos/
4. NotiUno, "NEPR evalúa ajuste que podría aumentar en unos $48 mensuales factura de luz" — https://www.notiuno.com/noticias/gobierno-y-politica/nepr-eval-a-ajuste-que-podr-a-aumentar-en-unos-48-mensuales-factura-de-luz/article_4b047aeb-eaa6-4a2c-b78f-75f0ac819c43.html