US territory plunges into darkness on New Year’s eve

A widespread outage has affected 90% of Puerto Rico residents, disrupting essential services

A sweeping blackout hit nearly all of Puerto Rico on New Year’s Eve, leaving over 1.3 million households in the dark as the territory prepared to celebrate. The company responsible for electricity transmission and distribution stated it could take up to two days to fully restore power.

The outage struck at dawn, causing electrical appliances and air conditioners to shut down for nearly 90% of residents. By late afternoon, approximately 194,000 customers, including hospitals and Puerto Rico’s water and sewer company, reportedly had their power restored. However, the webpage detailing locations and outages was not operational.

The blackout has sparked frustration with Luma Energy and Genera PR, the companies overseeing power generation in Puerto Rico. Luma reported that the blackout was likely caused by a failure of an underground power line and is currently working to restore power “in the quickest and safest way possible.”

Governor-elect Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon, set to be sworn in on January 2, called for the creation of an “energy czar” to review potential contractual breaches by Luma while searching for another operator.

Read more

“We can’t keep relying on an energy system that fails our people,” she wrote on social media, adding that her top priority would be stabilizing Puerto Rico’s energy grid.

Current Governor Pedro Pierluisi stated he was in contact with Luma and Genera PR, demanding answers and solutions. President Joe Biden was briefed on the outage, and US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm offered federal assistance.

The blackout forced businesses and malls to close, while the government announced limited schedules for some agencies. Luis Munoz Marin International Airport remained open, operating on generators. Although most hotels had generators, short-term rentals without them reported cancellations. Discover Puerto Rico, a non-profit organization promoting the island, warned travelers about the outage and advised cruise ship passengers to contact tour operators directly.

Read more

Power outages are a frequent issue in Puerto Rico, with the electrical grid still struggling to recover from the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria in 2017. The system was already in decline due to years of neglect and lack of investment. Approximately 60% of Puerto Rico’s energy is generated by petroleum power plants, followed by natural gas and coal, while solar rooftops account for only about 7% of electricity.

Puerto Rico’s Electric Power Authority is also working to restructure more than $9 billion in debt while the island continues to rely on generators provided by the US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to stabilize the grid.