A Critical Power Grid Failure Leaves Puerto Rico in the Dark for New Year’s Eve
A massive blackout has affected a significant portion of Puerto Rico, leaving over 1.2 million users without power, according to LUMA Energy, the company responsible for power distribution and transmission on the island. The outage, which began on New Year’s Eve morning, has left 80% of customers without electricity.
Gov. Pedro Pierluisi took to his social media account to address the issue, stating that work was already underway to restore power with the San Juan and Palo Seco plants. He also demanded answers and solutions from LUMA and Genera, the energy production company, to expedite the restart of generating units outside the affected area and to keep the public informed about their efforts to restore power.
The power company, LUMA Energy, reported that its Emergency Operations Center is working with Genera and other power collaborators to restore the electrical system and power to the island as quickly as possible. The full restoration process is expected to take about a day or two.
Residents, however, are expressing frustration and disappointment with the outages, citing the inconsistency of the power grid and the lack of modernization efforts. “Complete frustration, frustration, disappointment with the government, with the institutions, with everything,” said resident Sonia Arroyo.
The blackout is just the latest in a series of power outages to affect the island, with the grid having faltered on a mass scale multiple times in recent years. The most significant outage occurred after Hurricane Maria in 2017, when hundreds of thousands of people were left without power for months. Since then, the grid has struggled to recover, with many residents relying on generators and backups due to the fragile and poorly maintained power grid.
The US Federal Emergency Management Agency has allocated $9.9 billion for permanent projects to repair damage caused by Hurricane Maria, but challenges remain. LUMA Energy took over the management of the grid in 2021, and Genra PR, in charge of energy production, initiated operations in 2023. Despite efforts, the power grid continues to struggle, with half of all electric customers on the island experiencing outages after Hurricane Ernesto in August.
