Puerto Rico Faces Widespread Power Outage on New Year’s Eve
On New Year’s Eve, Puerto Rico experienced a significant power outage, leaving most of the island without electricity. As of 9:30 AM local time on Tuesday, about 90% of customers were in the dark, according to LUMA Energy, the company responsible for the island’s power distribution.
LUMA stated that it might take between 24 to 48 hours to restore power, depending on the situation. The cause of the outage is still being investigated, but early reports suggest that an issue with an underground power line might be to blame.
Ivan Baez, a representative from the power generation company Genera, referred to the situation as a “major incident” in a local radio interview. He indicated that the failed line was under LUMA’s management and that it affected Genera’s plants as well as other private generators.
Puerto Rico’s Governor Pedro Pierluisi took to social media to express his administration’s urgency for answers and solutions from both LUMA and Genera. He urged the companies to quickly restore power and to keep residents informed about the progress being made.
At around the same time, Genera reported that two of its plants were starting up again to help restore service to the affected areas.
Puerto Rico has struggled with frequent power outages for some time now, a challenge exacerbated by the damage inflicted by Hurricane Maria in 2017, which left the island’s infrastructure in a fragile state.
