Puerto Rico has been left in darkness as the island experiences a massive blackout on New Year's Eve, impacting over 1.2 million of its nearly 1.5 million customers, according to Luma Energy, the primary power distributor. The cause of this widespread outage remains under investigation, with restoration estimates ranging between 24 to 48 hours. This latest blackout has reignited discussions about the island's ongoing power troubles, which have plagued it since Hurricane Maria in 2017.
By Tuesday afternoon, electricity was partly restored in some areas, including San Juan’s municipal hospital. “Our energy system cannot keep failing our citizens,” Jenniffer González-Colon, Puerto Rico's current congressional representative and incoming governor, stated on social media. Governor Pedro Pierluisi echoed the sentiment, demanding accountability and solutions from the two main energy firms, Luma and Genera.
Power outages have significantly impacted Puerto Rico’s economy and residents' quality of life, with hundreds of thousands affected throughout the year. A previous June outage had left approximately 350,000 without power amid rising temperatures, and more than 700,000 experienced outages following Hurricane Ernesto in August. The frustration of residents was palpable as they woke up to another powerless day, with individuals like Enid Núñez, 49, commenting on how blackouts have become a part of everyday life.
The island's power grid faced challenges even before Hurricane Maria struck, leading to some federal assistance aimed at infrastructure recovery. However, reports indicate slow progress and complications in fully implementing recovery projects due to construction delays and federal regulations, as highlighted in a February 2024 report from the US Government Accountability Office. Mark Levine, Manhattan’s borough president, criticized the continued failures, stating, “This is 3.5 million American citizens. We owe them so much better.”
