The administration of Pedro Pierluisi offered an overview of the nearly 2,000 construction projects on the island, including housing, infrastructure works, energy and business incentives, according to the government statement published today.
EFE
San Juan, Puerto Rico
The Government of Puerto Rico presented the island's economic opportunities to Dominican businesspeople on Tuesday in a virtual seminar, emphasizing the need for Dominican labor for reconstruction projects.
Officials from Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, as well as more than 40 businesspeople, discussed the Puerto Rican recovery and reconstruction process after the disaster caused by Hurricane Maria in 2017 at the seminar.
The administration of Pedro Pierluisi offered an overview of the nearly 2,000 construction projects on the island, including housing, infrastructure works, energy and business incentives, according to the government statement published today.
Secretary of State Omar Marrero explained the Puerto Rican government's efforts to expedite the reconstruction process following the allocation of $85 billion in federal funds, which he described as a "historic opportunity.".
"To achieve effective implementation, it is necessary to recruit all available resources to advance the reconstruction, including those from other jurisdictions, ranging from labor, construction companies, materials, and heavy equipment," Marrero noted.
The involvement of Dominican companies in these projects is facilitated by an agreement last December to strengthen trade, cultural, sporting and cooperation relations, among other areas of mutual interest.
The Secretary of the Department of Housing, William Rodríguez, emphasized that, thanks to federal funds, Puerto Rico is seeing "an acceleration in construction and will require the construction of new homes.".
"The construction industry was reduced for a period of 10 years, but now we have to carry out the construction work within the terms provided by the federal government," Rodríguez told Dominican businessmen.
Meanwhile, the executive director of the Central Office for Recovery, Reconstruction and Resilience (COR3), Manuel Laboy Rivera, pointed out that there are 2,000 projects in the bidding or construction process, for which there is not enough manpower on the island.
"We are at an unprecedented moment in terms of economic opportunities, and the Dominican Republic can help us expedite that work," Laboy said.
Dominican collaboration will also be necessary in the energy sector. The Puerto Rican government aims to produce 40% of its energy from renewable sources by 2025, 60% by 2040, and 100% by 2050.
Francisco Berríos Portela, director of energy policy at the Department of Economic Development, explained that the island has about 4,000 workers in the renewable energy industry, but that 16,000 are needed to meet the proposed goals.
