On New Year’s Eve, Puerto Rico experienced a significant blackout that left much of the island in darkness. According to Luma Energy, the primary electricity distributor for the territory, approximately 90% of the nearly 1.5 million customers were without power during this critical time.
By late Tuesday night, Luma reported that power had been restored to over 700,000 customers, including vital facilities such as Puerto Rico’s water and sewer authority and 16 hospitals. Despite these efforts, the blackout reignited discussions surrounding the ongoing power issues that have plagued the island since Hurricane Maria struck in 2017.
Hugo Sorrentini explained that this failure led to a cascading series of problems across the electrical grid.
Joe Biden receiving updates on the crisis and Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm reaching out to Puerto Rico’s governor to offer support and assistance.
By the evening of the blackout, over 336,000 customers had their power restored, including the aforementioned hospitals and water services. However, Luma's website, which provided updates on which areas remained without electricity, was temporarily down.
In an official statement, Luma acknowledged the frustration caused by the outage, particularly on New Year's Eve, and apologized for the disruption to residents’ celebrations and plans. The company indicated that the power outage likely stemmed from an underground power line failure and assured the public that they were working to restore electricity "in the quickest and safest way possible." Sorrentini also mentioned that an investigation into the incident was underway.
Pedro Pierluisi expressed his demands for accountability and solutions from Luma and its partner company, Genera, on social media. This year alone, hundreds of thousands of residents have faced power outages, with a notable incident in June leaving around 350,000 customers in the dark during a heat wave, and another event in August affecting over 700,000 following Hurricane Ernesto.
As Puerto Ricans woke up to another day without electricity, many expressed their frustration and resignation. Enid Núñez, a 49-year-old resident, shared her experience with the ongoing outages, stating, “They’re part of my everyday life.” She noted that she had prepared breakfast using a gas stove, which she specifically purchased for situations like these.
U.S. Government Accountability Office in February 2024 highlighted that many funds remain unused due to complications related to construction initiation and the approval requirements set by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Mark Levine, the Manhattan borough president in New York City, criticized the state of the power grid, asserting that it has yet to recover from the damage inflicted by Hurricane Maria. He voiced this concern on X, emphasizing the ongoing struggles faced by the Puerto Rican community.
U.S. Representative Adriano Espaillat, a Dominican American, echoed these sentiments, highlighting the long-term impact of Hurricane Maria on the island's energy infrastructure. He criticized the current state of the power grid as costly, unstable, and unreliable, urging the outgoing Biden administration to take more decisive action to support Puerto Rico's ailing infrastructure. Espaillat noted that despite the billions allocated for rebuilding efforts, much of the funding remains untapped, leaving the island to face another year of darkness.
As Puerto Ricans grapple with the persistent power outages, many residents, like Núñez, have come to accept these disruptions as a part of their daily lives.
Zainab Y.
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