By -Power outages are a frustratingly frequent occurrence for many Puerto Ricans. A string of blackouts during the summer prompted protests and a state of emergency.
Puerto Rico suffered the latest in a string of widespread power outages Tuesday that left 1.3 million customers, or most of the island, in the dark.
More than 1 million energy customers were without power across the U.S. territory since 5:30 a.m. due to an infrastructure problem at a power plant on the island’s southern coast, energy company LUMA said in an update on X Tuesday morning. Miosotis Corretjer, a San Juan resident, said the situation was “totally frustrating” and that the government wasn’t doing enough to address the recurring outages.
“The people say that we don’t want LUMA because it’s the worst service of electricity that we have in the history of our country,” she said. “It’s sad that in this day, the last day of the year, that impacts our holiday traditions, our Navidad, everything is so sad for the people of Puerto Rico.”
A utility pole with loose cables towers over a home in Loiza, Puerto Rico, on Sept. 15, 2022. The U.S. territory was plunged into darkness Tuesday morning.
Around 1:30 p.m. local time, LUMA said in a statement that its initial efforts had restored power to about 3% of customers impacted, with restoration to 44,700 customers across the metro area and the island of Culebra. Power was also restored to the critical Centro Medico and Municipal Hospital in San Juan.
As of 3 p.m., more than 73,000 customers across the island had seen their power restored, the company said, adding that it would “continue prioritizing critical customers including hospitals, Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority facilities, and critical loads.”
By 5:30 p.m., LUMA’s website showed that power was restored to 13.2% of customers impacted, with a total of 194,429 customers with power.
LUMA said in an earlier statement that the fault appeared to be an underground cable and that it was working with partners to restart the island’s power network.
Power and communication lines are seen on a dark street in San Juan, Puerto Rico after a major power outage hit the island on December 31, 2024. A major power outage plunged much of Puerto Rico into darkness Tuesday, with the US island territory’s electric utility saying restoration could take up to two days. The “island-wide blackout” began at 5:30am (0930 GMT), Luma Energy said in a social media statement.
“LUMA will be restoring power to customers in phases. We’ve already begun the process of reenergizing some customers, with the full restoration process taking between 24 and 48 hours as conditions permit,” the company said.
Josué Colón, director of the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, said in a radio interview that a problem with a power line in the south caused a “cascade effect” that led to multiple power plants failing. He said it would take “much of the day” to fix the problem.
Puerto Rican Governor Pedro Pierluisi said on X that he was in contact with LUMA and the private energy company Genera PR. “We are demanding answers and solutions from both LUMA and Genera. They must expedite the restart of generating units outside the fault area and keep the public properly informed about the measures being taken to restore service across the island,” he said.
People walking on a dark street in San Juan, Puerto Rico after a major power outage hits the island on Wednesday.
Puerto Rico’s incoming governor, Jenniffer González, said on social media that the island “can’t keep relying on an energy system that fails our people. Today’s blackout and the uncertainty around restoration continue to impact our economy and quality of life.” González affirmed that stabilizing Puerto Rico’s electrical grid will be her top priority as governor.
The Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport said it was working on electricity generators but that flights were operating normally.
Puerto Rico’s electrical system had already been in decline when Category 4 Hurricane Maria devastated the island in 2017 and its power grid. The island continues to be beset by power outages as the fragile electric grid has not been permanently rebuilt since the storm razed it.
Power outages are a frustratingly frequent occurrence for many Puerto Ricans. A string of blackouts during the summer sparked protests and prompted San Juan Mayor Miguel Romero to declare a state of emergency.
Business owners turn to their power generators to be able to keep working during an island-wide blackout, in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
These protests paved the way for the U.S.-owned company Genera PR to assume management of the island’s power plants, previously operated by the state. The power stations, averaging 45 years of age—twice as old as similar facilities on the U.S. mainland—are heavily dependent on fossil fuels.
