In Puerto Rico, the Puerto Rico Public Service Commission (PRPSC) regulates the retail sale of natural gas which is generally used for cooking in Puerto Rico. PRPSC also regulates all electric, water, cable and telephone retail in many states. PRPSC’s responsibilities are:
- to ensure that utilities are responsive to customers’ needs and service requests; and
- to ensure that service is both adequate and reliable.
Further, the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA), a government-owned utility is responsible for the distribution of electricity to 1.3 million residential and business customers of Puerto Rico. PREPA generates most of its own power. PREPA is directed by a nine-member government board. Seven of the nine members of PREPA are appointed by the Governor of Puerto Rico, subject to senate approval. The remaining two board members are elected through an election supervised by the Consumer Affairs Department. The operations of the utility are regulated by the government board through an executive director. In short, PREPA provides electric energy services to consumers without affecting the environment in the most efficient, cost-effective, and reliable manner.