A new company is starting a $10.5 Billion rebuild of Puerto Rico's electrical system. In this episode of Grid Talk, host Marty Rosenberg talks with Wayne Stensby who is the President and CEO of Luma Energy. The company is in charge of Puerto Rico's energy transformation after hurricanes devastated the Island's electrical infrastructure. 

"It will be more resistive to storms and have fewer outages, but following storms and subsequent outages, it will be able to come back into service more quickly," said Stensby.

He talks about the challenges and opportunities related to taking over from a bankrupt utility in the wake of hurricane destruction. Luma will have accountability for nearly all aspects of Puerto Rico's electrical system. That includes everything from new technology and equipment to customer service. 

"It takes investments, and it takes systems, and it takes methodical approach, but it’s
absolutely possible and it’s what people in Puerto Rico deserve and what the economy here frankly requires."

Luma Energy was formed Quanta Services, ATCO, and Innovative Emergency Management to rebuild Puerto Rico's electrical grid.

Mr. Stensby joined ATCO in 1988 and has held a variety of leadership positions, including assignments in Canada, the U.K. and Australia. Most recently, in mid-2019, Mr. Stensby was appointed Executive Vice President, Corporate Development, where he was responsible for the growth of Canadian Utilities’ global portfolio of investments in premier energy infrastructure. 

Mr. Stensby holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Alberta and is registered as a Professional Engineer with APEGA.