A power blackout hit almost all of Puerto Rico early today, darkening the New Year’s Eve celebrations of the United States territory. More than 1.3 people on the island have been left in the dark, with officials announcing it could take up to two days to restore power.
The power went out in Puerto Rico in the early hours of Tuesday, December 31, effectively rendering useless the island’s appliances, music systems, and air conditioners. The only people who have been left unaffected by the blackout are those who can afford generators to power their homes.
90 percent of energy consumers affected by New Year power blackout in Puerto Rico
Luma, the private energy company that oversees electricity transmission and distribution in Puerto Rico, announced that 90 percent of its 1.47 million clients on the island had been affected by the power outage.
The company also said that the blackout appeared to have been caused by the failure of an underground power line. It told major news outlets that it is working to restore Puerto Rico’s power “in the quickest and safest way possible.”
The New Year blackout has deepened anger in Puerto Rico against Luma and Genera PR, which oversee the generation of power on the island. More and more people have been calling for the companies’ leadership to be removed from their roles.
Governor-elect Jeniffer Gonzalez calls for creation of energy czar
In response to the blackout, Governor Jeniffer Gonzalez Colon, who is set to be sworn into office on January 2, called for the creation of an energy czar in Puerto Rico to review potential contractual breaches committed by Luma while another energy operator is found.
Current governor of Puerto Rico, Pedro Pierluisi, said he had been in contact with both Luma and Genera PR. “We are demanding answers and solutions,” he wrote on social media.
While complete power blackouts are quite rare in Puerto Rico, the island suffered from chronic power outages. These started in 2017 when category storm Hurricane Maria hit an already weak power grid in September of that year.
Since then, the island’s power system has worsened owing to years of negligence and lack of investment. While work has been conducted more recently to repair Puerto Rico’s power grid, the island largely continues to depend on portable power generators provided by the U.S. federal government.