A massive island-wide blackout hit Puerto Rico on Wednesday as residents were looking ahead to the Easter weekend.
A spokesman for Luma Energy, which oversees the transmission and distribution of power for the U.S. territory, told The Associated Press that all 1.4 million customers were affected, including the main international airport and several hospitals. At least 328,000 customers were without water.
Power had only been restored for around 175,000 customers – or 12% – by Wednesday.
Hotels were near capacity, with thousands of tourists celebrating Easter vacations on the island. Tourism officials rushed to reassure them that many hotels and other businesses were operating with generators.
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“There are no words that can ease the frustration we feel as a people in the face of another massive blackout,” Gov. Jenniffer González, who cut her vacation short and flew back to Puerto Rico, wrote on X. “I’m with you because the people of Puerto Rico deserve their officials to respond in times of crisis, and that’s why I’m here.”
It was not immediately clear what caused the shutdown, which is the latest in a string of major blackouts on the island in recent years.
In December, another massive blackout left nearly 1.3 million in the dark as residents were beginning preparations to celebrate New Year’s Eve.
The governor pledged she would cancel the contract with Luma but noted that while government officials have started analyzing the contract and finding possible replacements, it wouldn’t be a quick process.
González also said that she has requested an in-depth investigation into the blackout, noting that officials have already warned there won’t be enough generation of power for this summer, when demand peaks.
“Puerto Rico can’t be the island where the power goes out all the time,” González said. “We’re going to take action. Let people have no doubts.”
Officials said 90% of clients would likely have electricity 48 to 72 hours after the blackout occurred.
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The latest blackout has left thousands of Puerto Ricans fuming, with many renewing their calls that the government cancel the contract with Luma and Genera PR, which oversees generation of power on the island.
Reggaeton superstar Bad Bunny echoed the collective rage, writing on X: “When are we going to do something?”
Dozens of people were forced to walk on an overpass next to the rails of the rapid transit system that serves the capital, San Juan, while scores of businesses were forced to close.
Professional baseball and basketball games were canceled as the hum of generators and smell of smoke filled the air. Traffic became snarled as police officers were deployed to busy intersections.
Those without generators crowded around grocery stores and other businesses to buy ice across Puerto Rico.
The island of 3.2 million residents has a more than 40% poverty rate, and not everyone can afford solar panels or generators.
Roughly 117,000 homes and businesses on the island have solar rooftops. Meanwhile, petroleum-fired power plants provide 62% of Puerto Rico’s power, natural gas 24%, coal 8% and renewables 7%, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
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Daniel Hernández, vice president of operations at Genera PR, said at a news conference that a disturbance hit the transmission system shortly after noon on Wednesday, during a time when the grid is vulnerable because there are not many machines regulating frequency at that hour.
Verónica Ferraiuoli, Puerto Rico’s acting governor and secretary of state, said the White House reached out to local officials and said they are available if needed.
Pablo José Hernández, Puerto Rico’s representative in Congress, said he would work to ensure that “Washington understands the real and urgent situation Puerto Ricans face every day.”
“The electric grid crisis is frustrating, and after years of blackouts, it feels like it’s going from bad to worse,” he said.
