Hugo is President and CEO of HKT Energy Group. He is an accomplished utility veteran with more than 25 years of experience in Power Distribution, Engineering, Power Quality, Utility System Planning, Project Management, Operations Improvement, Financial Performance and Governance. As Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer at Virgin Islands Water & Power Authority, Hugo managed all operational facilities while leading a multi-functional team on all aspects of the production, transmission and distribution of water and electric power. In this role, he frequently interfaced and managed supplier and government agency relationships. He is experienced in managing alternative sources of generation and possesses an impressive record of both improving and sustaining system efficiency at power utilities.
Hugo is a frequent speaker to energy leadership and at energy conferences. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Southern Polytechnic State University and an M.B.A. from Georgia State University. He is the former chairman of the Caribbean Electric Utility Service Corporation (CARILEC) and former member of the board of directors for the American Public Power Association (APPA). He also served as co-director of the Energy Development in Island Nations- U.S. Virgin Islands (EDIN-USVI). Hugo remains an active member of community organizations, specifically those that mentor and provide guidance to the younger generation.
Areas of Expertise
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Project Management
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Operational Improvement
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System Engineering and Design
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Strategic Planning
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Governance
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Change Implementation and Management
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Supply Chain Management
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Grid Optimization
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Renewable Energy
Accomplishments
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Developed and led the execution of an ambitious strategic plan to bring state-of-the-art solutions by which both electricity and potable water are generated and distributed throughout the U.S. Virgin Islands.
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Led and guided the utility through the negotiation, contracting, construction and pre-commissioning of the first LPG facility in the Caribbean.
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Led the major initiative of connecting over 8 megawatts of generation capacity to the sub transmission grids with the connection of solar facilities in each island district, and successfully negotiated for an additional 8 MW to be added at a later date.
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Recognized as a Change Agent and selected to speak to a state-wide delegation of managers on the topic of implementing and managing change.
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A champion for clean energy, Hugo put in place plans to reduce emissions, and increase renewable energy. He provided the leadership, management and vision necessary to grow the utility and to incorporate renewables as part of the integrated resource planning for WAPA. Under Hugo’s leadership, WAPA earned industry recognition in the Caribbean for taking a major role in growing clean energy services and processes.
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Developed forward-thinking business strategies, short-term goals, and long-term objectives around capacity, energy, transmission, distribution planning, system engineering and design, ancillary services, fuel, and alternative energy, metering, grid modernization and marketing which contributed to strong operational and financial performance.