Rendering of Esencia Masterplan featuring Mandarin Oriental Residences, Puerto Rico at EsenciaImage by Eleven VisualisationMost branded residential projects highlight hotel names, private villas, and ocean views. Esencia goes further. This $2.5 billion community on Puerto Rico's southwest coast is designed to operate independently from the island's municipal power and water systems.Esencia covers more than 2,000 acres near Boquerón Bay. When finished, it will offer 500 hotel rooms and suites and 1,200 private homes. It will bring together hotels such as Mandarin Oriental, Aman, and Rosewood Hotels & Resorts.According to developers Reuben Brothers and Three Rules Capital, the project will use only renewable solar-powered electricity, recycle water throughout the property, and produce excess electricity for the local grid. After three years of environmental review, it received approval to move forward. The first phase includes the Mandarin Oriental and Aman hotels, the first residential neighborhoods, a golf course, beach club, the Racquet & Field Club, trails, a town center, a school, and medical facilities. Rosewood is expected to join soon after.Rendering of Mandarin Oriental Residences, Puerto Rico at EsenciaEleven VisualizationA Solar-First CommunityEsencia’s energy system provides power for its hotels, homes, restaurants, medical facilities, school, and other amenities without needing outside sources. This matters on an island where hurricanes and aging infrastructure have made reliable power a daily challenge since Hurricane Maria damaged the grid in 2017.In an interview, Will Bennett, CEO and managing partner of Three Rules Capital, tells me, “Anyone who lived through Hurricane Maria understands that resilient infrastructure isn't a luxury in Puerto Rico. It's essential,” He says the community will have its own water systems, renewable energy, battery storage, backup power, and advanced water treatment.Puerto Rico’s environmental approval says the project will have a photovoltaic system that could reach 68 megawatts when finished, starting with 12.8 megawatts in the first phase. Battery storage will help keep the community running for up to 16 hours without outside power. This would be the largest solar installation for a single luxury resort community in the Caribbean.“We are building a self-reliant community powered entirely by renewable energy, with solar as a primary source,” Bennett says. The goal is to produce enough extra energy to supply the local grid when needed. This backup is crucial for the medical center, water treatment facilities, school, and hotels during hurricanes, which often disrupt Puerto Rico’s main power supply.Rendering of Mandarin Oriental Residences, Puerto Rico at EsenciaEleven VisualizationCreating an Independent Water SupplyThe development team says drinking water will come from on-site groundwater, while captured rainwater and treated wastewater will be reused for irrigation. It remains unclear how much water the completed development would draw from the regional aquifer, especially during droughts. Developers maintain the independent system will avoid adding demand to Puerto Rico’s public water network.“Combined with our independent closed-loop systems that capture and reuse rainwater and treated wastewater, we are setting a new standard for resilient, local infrastructure,” Bennett says. The recycled water will be used for landscaping and irrigation, including Esencia’s two golf courses.Rendering of Mandarin Oriental Residences, Puerto Rico at EsenciaEleven VisualizationKeeping Most of the Land OpenPuerto Rico-based Álvarez-Díaz & Villalón worked with the global landscape architecture firm EDSA to create the master plan."The size of the property gave us the luxury of restraint," Bennett says. "We intentionally grouped homes, hotels, and amenities into specific areas, preserving over 75% of the land for conservation, recreation, trails, golf, natural habitat, and community use." The remaining space is reserved for buildings, roads, and other infrastructure."Our vision for Esencia was to design a community and master plan that respects and restores the land," says Pablo Massari, principal of EDSA. "By keeping our built footprint small, setting aside large areas for conservation and ecosystem rehabilitation, and using sustainable and resilient infrastructure, we are creating a place where daily life fits naturally into the environment.”The environmental plan includes restoring more than 33 acres of wetlands, revitalizing coastal dunes and mangrove ecosystems, and expanding bird habitats. All of these areas are connected by over 20 miles of trails. This natural landscape also guides how the community is built. Mandarin Oriental, Puerto Rico is being designed by Studio MK27, led by Brazilian architect Marcio Kogan, who is known for creating buildings that blend indoor and outdoor spaces.Esencia has joined Audubon International's Signature Sanctuary program and is now working toward the program's highest distinction, Signature Platinum Certification, which is Audubon International's top environmental honor for new developments. Audubon International is a separate organization from the National Audubon Society.Joining the program is just the beginning. To earn certification, Esencia must meet strict environmental standards in every phase, including design, construction, and long-term operations. This certification would apply to the entire development, not just to specific features such as golf courses or hotels. If Esencia is built and certified as planned, it would become the largest Signature Platinum community in the world by acreage.Rendering of Mandarin Oriental Residences, Puerto Rico at EsenciaEleven VisualizationLuxury Hotels and Full-Time Homes“We’ve always viewed Esencia as a community first and a resort second,” Bennett says. Along with hotels and residences, Esencia will feature a town center with shops, restaurants, and entertainment. The community will also include a bilingual K-12 private school, a 24-hour medical and wellness center, an organic farm, a private airfield, beach clubs, a racquet and field club, an equestrian center, and two championship golf courses. One of the courses will have ocean views and was designed by Rees Jones.The residences will include condominiums, serviced villas, and individual homesites, with prices ranging from around $2 million to over $20 million. The developers say that almost 70% of early interest has come from people in Puerto Rico. Mandarin Oriental Residences, Puerto Rico at Esencia will offer 106 hotel rooms and suites, 83 villas, and about 200 more residences near the town center. Details about the Aman and Rosewood properties are not available yet.Rendering of Mandarin Oriental Residences, Puerto Rico at EsenciaEleven VisualizationEnvironmental Questions RemainEsencia’s sustainability program is central to the proposal, but some local residents still have concerns. People in the community and environmental groups worry about the project’s size, its effects on coastal habitats and wildlife, water use, and whether the public had enough say during planning. The developers say they have addressed these concerns through environmental studies, government reviews, and talks with local residents."People should ask questions about a project of this scale in their community," Bennett says. After listening to public feedback, he explains, the team revised the master plan to include coastal setbacks, stronger habitat protection, better stormwater management, and expanded environmental monitoring. "What I would ask is that people judge Esencia based on what has actually been proposed and approved, not based on assumptions and not based on rumors."Rendering of Mandarin Oriental Residences, Puerto Rico at Esencia beachfrontEleven VisualizationReuben Brothers and Three Rules Capital believe the project will create more than 17,000 jobs, both directly and indirectly, and bring in over $7 billion in long-term economic activity. Bennett says about $20 million should go back to the local community during the first phase, and almost $40 million over the whole project. This amount is close to what Esencia expects to save through a municipal tax exemption. These figures are from the developers, and the real results will depend on how construction goes.Formal residential sales are set to begin in the last quarter of 2026. If all goes as planned, Esencia expects to welcome its first residents and hotel guests by late 2029."Ultimately, we hope to be judged not by our renderings or promises, but by what this land looks like decades from now," Bennett says.MORE FROM FORBESForbesThe 10 Best Honeymoon Resorts In The Caribbean, According To The 2026 World Travel AwardsBy Jim DobsonPuerto Rico solar powered community