A massive power outage early Tuesday left 1.3 million customers, which amounts to approximately 80% of the island, without electricity. It’s the latest in a string of grid failures plaguing the island.
Energy company LUMA reported that an infrastructure failure at a southern power plant triggered the blackout around 5:30 a.m. Preliminary findings point to an issue with an underground cable, causing a cascading failure across the grid.
Puerto Rico: Massive New Years Eve Power Outage
LUMA said restoration efforts are underway, with power expected to return within 24 to 48 hours, depending on conditions. “LUMA will be restoring power in phases, and some customers have already been reenergized,” the company said.
Josué Colón, director of the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, said in a radio interview that the line failure caused multiple power plants to shut down.
The outage has prompted frustration across the island, which has faced chronic energy instability since Hurricane Maria devastated its infrastructure in 2017. Puerto Rico Governor Pedro Pierluisi called for answers from LUMA and Genera PR, the private company managing the island’s power generation.
“We are demanding solutions and faster restoration of service,” Pierluisi said, urging the companies to restart unaffected generator units and keep the public informed.
Puerto Rico’s aging grid, reliant on fossil fuels and equipment averaging 45 years old, has struggled to meet the island’s needs. Genera PR assumed management of the state-owned power stations earlier this year following protests over persistent outages.
The Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport confirmed operations were running on backup generators, and flights remained unaffected.
This marks the latest blow to Puerto Rico’s power infrastructure. In August, more than 700,000 customers were left in the dark following Tropical Storm Ernesto, and summer outages sparked island-wide protests demanding better service.
LUMA and Genera PR continue to investigate the cause of Tuesday’s blackout while working to restore electricity.
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