Logistics Analysis of Puerto Rico: Will the Seaborne Supply Chain of Puerto Rico Support Hurricane Recovery Projects?

Abstract

The research in this report is intended to inform implementation of the Puerto Rico recovery plan, Transformation and Innovation in the Wake of Devastation: An Economic and Disaster Recovery Plan for Puerto Rico. Under contract with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Homeland Security Operational Analysis Center (HSOAC) provided substantial support in developing that recovery plan by soliciting and integrating input from a wide variety of stakeholders, contributing analysis where needed, and supporting drafting of the plan. The plan included an overview of damage and needs, courses of action (COAs) to meet those needs, costs of the COAs, and potential funding mechanisms for those costs.After completing the recovery plan, HSOAC was tasked to study whether the logistics capacity of Puerto Rico would support the anticipated increase in imports of materials for use in funded recovery projects. The research focused on available capacity to import the materials anticipated to stress the logistics system, large and heavy items. These items are imported to Puerto Rico via the seaborne logistics system. This report should be of interest to FEMA, the government of Puerto Rico, and individuals active in performing work as part of the Puerto Rico recovery plan.This research was sponsored by FEMA and conducted within the Strategy, Policy, and Operations Program of the HSOAC federally funded research and development center (FFRDC). More information about HSOAC's contribution to planning for recovery in Puerto Rico, along with links to other reports being published as part of this series, can be found at www.rand.org/hsoac/puerto-rico-recovery.Comments or questions on this draft report should be addressed to the project leaders,

El Estudio de Resiliencia de la Red Electrica de Puerto Rico y Transiciones a Energia 100% Renovable (PR100): Informe Final

“…Sin embargo, si una interrupción eléctrica importante afectara las operaciones de carga del Puerto de San Juan durante un período de tiempo significativo, existe el riesgo de que el retraso en los movimientos de carga requiera mucho tiempo para gestionarse. Dar prioridad al movimiento de aquellas cadenas de suministro que son más críticas para la salud humana sigue siendo el objetivo principal de los planificadores de la infraestructura del sistema de transporte en caso de una interrupción eléctrica que afecte las operaciones (Resnick et al 2020).…”

“…• Impactos a la infraestructura energética debido a sus interdependencias con la infraestructura del sistema de transporte afectada: en la red eléctrica existente, las terminales de combustible que reciben envíos de petróleo a granel son fundamentales para la operación de la red (Resnick et al 2020). A medida que la transición a la energía renovable anule estas dependencias del combustible, las nuevas dependencias en el flujo de equipos y materiales necesarios para administrar o mantener los activos y componentes del sistema de la infraestructura de energía renovable se basarán en las inversiones en infraestructura que los operadores de infraestructura energética de Puerto Rico elijan realizar.…”

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“…If, however, a significant electric outage impacted freight operations at the Port of San Juan for a significant period of time, there is a risk that the backlog of freight movements would require a great deal of time to manage. Prioritizing the movement of those supply chains that are most critical to human health remains the primary goal of transportation system infrastructure planners in the event of an electric power outage that affects operations (Resnick et al 2020).…”

“…Transportation System Infrastructure: In the existing electric grid, the fuel terminals that receive bulk petroleum shipments are critical to the operation of the grid (Resnick et al 2020). As the renewable energy transition negates these dependencies on fuel, new dependencies on the flow of equipment and materials that are needed to manage or maintain the assets and system components of renewable energy infrastructure will be based on which infrastructure investments the Commonwealth's energy infrastructure operators choose to pursue.…”