Puerto Rico was hit by the latest in a series of massive power outages on Tuesday, leaving nearly 1.3 million businesses and homes, most of the island, in darkness at one point.
Energy company Luma said in an update Tuesday morning that more than 1 million electricity customers across the U.S. territory lost power as of 5:30 a.m. due to infrastructure issues at a power plant on the island’s southern coast.
Miosotis Colechel, a San Juan resident, said the situation was “absolutely frustrating” and that the government’s response was not enough.
“People say they don’t want Luma because it’s the worst electricity service in the history of our country,” she said. “It is very sad for the people of Puerto Rico that on this day, the last day of the year, our holiday tradition, our Navidad, is affected.”
Luma announced that power had been restored to more than 336,000 customers by the evening. This equates to having power restored to more than one in five customers who were in the dark.
“Critical facilities, including more than 16 hospitals such as Naguabo Hospital, and critical infrastructure such as the Super Aqueduct and other Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewerage Authority facilities have been reactivated,” the agency said in an evening update.
Luma continued: “Our team continues to work diligently towards a full recovery.”
The news was one of several updates letting Puerto Ricans know that power is coming back, albeit often in small steps.
Luma said in an earlier statement that the fault appeared to be in underground cables and that it was working with partners to get the island’s power grid back up and running.
“LUMA plans to restore power to customers in stages. We have already begun the process of re-supplying power to some customers and the full restoration process will take 24 to 48 hours, if conditions permit.” the company said.
Josue Colón, head of the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, the public agency that works with Luma to operate the power grid for 1.5 million customers, said in a radio interview that problems with the southern power line had caused a “cascading effect.” said. Multiple power plants broke down. He said it would take “most of the day” to resolve the issue.
Puerto Rico Governor Pedro Pierluisi told X that he is in contact with Luma and private energy company Genera PR.
“We want answers and solutions from both Luma and Genera. must be properly informed,” he said.
Puerto Rico’s next governor, Jennifer González, said on social media that Puerto Rico “cannot continue to rely on an energy system that burdens our people.” Today’s power outages and uncertainty surrounding recovery continue to impact our economy and quality of life. ”
González said stabilizing Puerto Rico’s power grid will be his top priority as governor.
Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport said its generators were in operation, but flights were operating normally.
Puerto Rico’s power system was already in decline when Category 4 Hurricane Maria devastated the island and power grid in 2017. The island continues to suffer power outages as the fragile power grid has not been permanently rebuilt since the storm destroyed it.
In 2020, the government selected Luma, a partnership between Calgary, Alberta-based Atco and Houston-based Quanta Services Inc., to work with provincial power authorities to serve electricity customers. It began operations in Puerto Rico in 2021.
Power outages remain frustratingly frequent for many Puerto Ricans. A series of power outages over the summer sparked protests and San Juan Mayor Miguel Romero declared a state of emergency.
In 2022, New York State Attorney General Letitia James requested a federal investigation into Luma.
“Five years after Hurricanes Irma and Maria wreaked havoc on Puerto Rico, and even after billions of dollars were spent modernizing and strengthening the island’s power grid, residents continue to face frequent power outages and high electricity costs. The charges continue to be met,” James’ office said in a statement. That year.
Customers were subject to seven rate increases in 2022. Puerto Ricans already pay more than twice the average electricity bill of mainland U.S. customers.
In 2023, Luma announced the launch of 251 federally funded projects to reduce power outage frequency by 30% and rebuild a patched-up power grid within one year.
Still, these protests led to the US-owned Genera Public Relations Corporation taking over management of the previously state-owned power plant. The plants are on average 45 years old, twice as long as comparable facilities in the continental United States, and rely heavily on fossil fuels.
More than 700,000 customers in Puerto Rico lost power when Tropical Storm Ernesto hit the island in August.
