There is a conversation happening right now about Puerto Rico’s energy future, and like many conversations involving the island, it sounds promising on the surface. But when you look a little deeper, a more important question begins to emerge. Why are we being positioned to depend on energy from somewhere else?
Project Hostos is a proposed electrical interconnection between Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. The idea is to install a high-voltage submarine cable beneath the Mona Passage, allowing electricity to flow between both territories. Supporters of the project say it could strengthen energy security, provide backup power during emergencies, and create a more connected Caribbean energy system. And to be fair, those benefits are real. But that is not the full picture.
Instead of focusing only on what this project could bring, we need to ask a much harder question. Why aren’t these same resources being directed toward fixing Puerto Rico’s own electrical grid? Because Puerto Rico’s problem has never been a lack of connections. Puerto Rico’s problem has been a lack of consistent investment in its own infrastructure. We are still dealing with an aging system. We are still experiencing outages. We are still paying high energy costs. So why are we talking about connecting outward before stabilizing what we already have?
Some will argue that this is normal, that even places like the United States import electricity from Canada. That is true. But context matters. In places like the United States, those connections are supplemental. They are part of a system that is already stable, already functional, already resilient. They are not being used to compensate for a broken grid. Puerto Rico is in a completely different position.
When you introduce external energy into a system that is still struggling internally, you are not just creating a backup, you are potentially creating dependence.
If your house is collapsing, you don’t run an extension cord to your neighbor. You fix your foundation. Puerto Rico deserves a modern, reliable, and self-sufficient energy system. That means investing in a stronger and more resilient electrical grid, expanding local energy production, and building renewable energy sources that reduce long-term vulnerability. These are not luxuries. These are necessities.
This is not about rejecting innovation or refusing collaboration. This is about priorities. Because once a system begins to rely on outside sources, that reliance can become permanent. It can shape policy, pricing, and long-term decision-making in ways that are difficult to reverse. So the real issue is not whether Project Hostos is technically possible. The real issue is whether it is being introduced at the right time and for the right reasons.
Project Hostos may offer benefits. It may even become part of Puerto Rico’s future energy strategy.
But before we celebrate it, we must ask ourselves: Are we building strength within Puerto Rico, or are we normalizing dependence outside of it?
That is a question every Puerto Rican should be asking right now.