The island of Puerto Rico is suffering another island-wide power outage, just months after a dayslong blackout on New Year’s Eve kept residents in the dark.
Luma Energy said the complete interruption to its service began at about 12:40 p.m. local time on Wednesday. This means all 1.4 million customers on the island are without power.
“While the cause of the interruption is being investigated, preliminary findings indicate an unexpected shutdown at all generating plants,” the company said.
At least 78,000 clients are without water, with officials warning that power likely won’t be fully restored for another 48 to 72 hours.
Genera Power, a private company tasked with managing and operating some power generation units owned by the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, said it experienced “a massive power outage across the island.”
Dozens of people were forced to walk next to the rails of the rapid transit system that serves the capital, San Juan, while scores of businesses — including the biggest mall in the Caribbean — were forced to close.
Professional baseball and basketball games were cancelled as the hum of generators and smell of smoke filled the air. Traffic became snarled as police officers were deployed to busy intersections.
“This is unacceptable,” said Josué Colón, the island’s so-called energy czar and former executive director of Puerto Rico’s Electric Power Authority.
Puerto Rico’s Center of Emergency Management is coordinating with Luma and Genera to address emergency situations, the agency said on social media.
The San Juan Airport is running on electric generators, limiting some of its services, it said in an X post on Wednesday.
“Flights are operating normally and are uninterrupted,” the airport said. “We recommend passengers to arrive to the airport with plenty of time.”
The New Year’s Eve power outage lasted two days caused by an issue with an underground cable, Luma said in January. It’s the latest in an ongoing struggle for the island since Hurricane Maria severely damaged Puerto Rico’s power grid.
Puerto Ricans pay twice as much for electricity as those in the U.S. mainland, despite the unreliable service. Residents of the island have grown angry and frustrated with power outages that have grown more frequent and last for longer stretches of time.
The Associated Press
