© 2024 WSIU Public Broadcasting
WSIU Public Broadcasting
Member-Supported Public Media from Southern Illinois University
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Small Montana Company Wins Big Contract To Rebuild Puerto Rico's Power Grid

A worker repairs power lines about two weeks after Hurricane Maria swept through the island on Oct. 5, 2017 in San Isidro, Puerto Rico. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
A worker repairs power lines about two weeks after Hurricane Maria swept through the island on Oct. 5, 2017 in San Isidro, Puerto Rico. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

The vast majority of Puerto Ricans are still without power, more than a month after Hurricane Maria devastated the island’s power grid. Rebuilding that infrastructure is a huge job, but the biggest contract awarded so far went to a tiny, for-profit company that had only two permanent employees when the storm hit.

Whitefish Energy said last week that it had signed a $300 million contract with the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, but some are questioning the company’s qualifications.

Here & Now‘s Meghna Chakrabarti talks with Washington Post investigative reporter Jack Gillum (@jackgillum), who reported the story along with Steven Mufson, Aaron C. Davis and Arelis R. Hernández.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

As a WSIU donor, you don’t simply watch or listen to public media programs, you are a partner. By making a gift, you help WSIU produce, purchase, and broadcast programs you care about and enjoy – every day of the year.