A blackout in Puerto Rico left nearly 1.3 million clients in the dark on Tuesday as the U.S. territory began preparations to celebrate New Year’s Eve, and according to officials, it may take up to two days to restore power.
The Associated Press reported that power went dark at dawn, sending the entire island into silence when electrical appliances and air conditioners were cut off before generators from those who could afford them turned on.
Luma Energy, a private company that oversees the transmission and distribution of electricity, said nearly 90% of 1.47 million clients in Puerto Rico were left in the dark.
The company also said the power outage was caused by a failure in an underground power line, noting it is restoring power “in the quickest and safest way possible.”
The blackout only fueled already simmering anger against Luma and Genera PR, the company that oversees the generation of power in Puerto Rico.
Governor-elect Jenniffer González Colón, who will be sworn into office on Jan. 2, called for the creation of an “energy czar” to review potential Luma contractual breaches while another operator is found.
“We can’t keep relying on an energy system that fails our people,” she wrote on X, adding that stabilizing Puerto Rico’s energy grid would be her top priority in office.
Also weighing in on the matter is current Gov. Pedro Pierluisi, who said in a post on X that he was in touch with Luma and Genera PR.
“We can report that work is already underway to restore service with the San Juan and Palo Seco plants,” he wrote. “We are demanding answers and solutions from both LUMA and Genera, who must expedite the restart of the generating units outside the fault area and keep the people duly informed about the measures they are taking to restore service throughout the Island.”
The outage forced several businesses, parks and malls to close, and the government announced limited schedules for some of its agencies.
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White House officials issued a statement about the power outages in Puerto Rico on Tuesday.
“The President has been briefed by Homeland Security Advisor Liz Sherwood-Randall on the widespread power outages across Puerto Rico,” the statement read. “Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm spoke with the Governor of Puerto Rico and, at the President’s direction, offered to provide any federal assistance that they need to speed power restoration.”
While blackouts are rare in Puerto Rico, the island struggles with chronic power outages blamed on a crumbling power grid that was severely damaged by Hurricane Maria, a Category 4 storm in September 2017.
At that time, though, the system was already in decline after years of neglect in terms of maintenance and investment.
It was not until recently that crews began making permanent repairs to Puerto Rico’s power grid after Hurricane Maria. The island still depends on generators provided by the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to help stabilize the grid.
Last month, the Puerto Rican government asked U.S. officials for permission to continue using more than a dozen portable generators for another two years.
Meanwhile, Puerto Rico’s Electric Power Authority struggles to restructure more than $9 billion in debt, the largest of the island’s government agencies.
Power plants that rely on petroleum generate more than 60% of Puerto Rico’s energy, followed by natural gas and coal. Solar rooftops account for only about 7% of electricity consumption on an island with a poverty rate over 40%.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
