The revitalization coordinator of the Fiscal Control Board (FCB), Noel Zamot, will work in coordination with the government so that the development of critical infrastructure projects under the PROMESA Law does not conflict with the Public-Private Partnerships’ (PPP) plans that the Rosselló Nevares administration commands.

Zamot said the concern was discussed on Tuesday during a meeting with the director of the Public-Private Partnerships Authority (AAPP by its Spanish acronym), Omar Marrero Díaz, and Fortaleza’s infrastructure development advisor, María Palou Abasolo, where they agreed to complement the objectives of their respective efforts.

‘Yesterday we met with Marrero and we had a conversation where he mentioned exactly what you asked me. We realized that these two processes are parallels and can be worked together depending on whether the projects are critical or not,’ said Zamot.

Title V of PROMESA makes it easier to obtain permits in critical infrastructure projects, such as transportation and power generation, for which the government does not have funds due to the precarious fiscal situation and the lack of access to international trade markets. This process is independent of the PPP process initiated by the government.

‘We realized that both processes are complementary. We talked amongst ourselves. This is not easy; but it gets a lot less difficult if we have the government, the FCB and their team, and everyone basically saying ‘this is what we should focus on’,’ he explained.

The newly appointed Revitalization Coordinator isthe person who will lead the process of implementing ‘critical projects’ to positively impact economic activity and create jobs on the island. This designation will trigger expedited permit processes which, in turn, will enable key projects to be delivered more quickly.

Zamot confirmed that the government has begun working on at least seven projects that were discussed in the meeting with Marrero Diaz and Palou Abasolo.

In addition, he agreed to regular meetings with officials of Ricardo Rosselló’s government to identify projects and determine whether they fall within jurisdiction of the PPPs, private investment or the critical projects under Title V of PROMESA.

‘We are making a group to have a regular meeting. We have to meet to decide where these projects will be managed,’ Zamot confessed after reiterating that the determination will depend on whether the projects are critical (those that serve the priority areas arranged in PROMESA of infrastructure, energy and transportation), or not.