In the Dark: Puerto Rico Suffers New Year’s Eve Power Outage

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It seems Puerto Rico won’t be ringing in the New Year quite as planned. The vast majority of the island lost power early Tuesday morning.

A blackout in Puerto Rico left nearly 1.3 million clients in the dark on Tuesday as the U.S. territory began preparations to celebrate New Year’s Eve, and according to officials, it may take up to two days to restore power.

The Associated Press reported that power went dark at dawn, sending the entire island into silence when electrical appliances and air conditioners were cut off before generators from those who could afford them turned on.

Luma Energy, a private company that oversees the transmission and distribution of electricity, said nearly 90% of 1.47 million clients in Puerto Rico were left in the dark.

The outage was attributed to a failed underground power line. 

Puerto Rican Governor Pedro Pierluisi acknowledged the issue on X:

Estamos en comunicación con LUMA y Genera, así como con el equipo de la AEE sobre el apagón masivo que afecta a gran parte de la Isla por una falla crítica. Podemos informar que ya se está trabajando en el restablecimiento del servicio con las plantas de San Juan y Palo Seco.…

— Gobernador Pierluisi (@GovPierluisi) December 31, 2024

(Translated)

We are in communication with LUMA and Genera, as well as with the AEE team regarding the massive blackout affecting a large part of the Island due to a critical fault. We can report that work is already underway to restore service with the San Juan and Palo Seco plants. We are demanding answers and solutions from both LUMA and Genera, who must expedite the restart of the generating units outside the fault area and keep the people duly informed about the measures they are taking to restore service throughout the Island.

Late Tuesday afternoon, Pierluisi provided an update.

Durante el día de hoy he estado en contacto con con el Presidente de Estados Unidos, @POTUS, y la Secretaria del Departamento de Energía, @SecGranholm, quienes me reiteraron el compromiso del gobierno federal de asistir a Puerto Rico en continuar y agilizar la reconstrucción del…

— Gobernador Pierluisi (@GovPierluisi) December 31, 2024

During the day, I have been in close contact with President Joe Biden and the U.S. Department of Energy Secretary, Jennifer Granholm, both of whom reiterated the commitment of the federal government to assist Puerto Rico in continuing and speeding up the reconstruction of our electric system. This is a long and arduous process that requires local and federal collaboration, which is why I requested that FEMA continue facilitating the projects we have begun. Also, I thanked them for the two year extension we received today from FEMA authorizing the use of the temporary generators that provide 350 MW, which will provide that generation until 2027. At the same time, I am also in constant communication with LUMA and General, as we continue to demand the system’s recovery as soon as possible.

The White House confirmed President Biden’s contact with Pierluisi.

The President spoke by phone this evening with Puerto Rico Governor Pedro Pierluisi to discuss the widespread power outages across Puerto Rico and offer any federal assistance that they need. The President also spoke by phone with Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm and directed her to continue to offer any assistance the Biden Administration can provide to speed power restoration for the people of Puerto Rico.

As of Tuesday afternoon, power had been restored to approximately 73,000 customers, as well as two hospitals in San Juan. Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport continued normal operations via generators. 

Whitefish Energy Stops Work on Puerto Rico’s Power Grid for the Most Predictable Reason

In 2017, Puerto Rico suffered sustained power outages following Hurricane Maria.

Hurricane Maria ravaged the island in 2017, creating the longest and largest major power outage in modern U.S. history. The storm and its aftermath caused nearly 3,000 deaths, including from disease, lack of access to health care and water insecurity.

Afterward, Puerto Rico privatized its power grid. The island’s leaders contracted the Canadian American consortium Luma Energy to operate power lines and transmission towers, while fellow contractor Genera PR operates power generation plants.

Governor-elect Jenniffer González-Colón (who assumes office on January 2) also addressed the outage Tuesday on X, vowing to make stabilizing the energy grid her top priority:

We can’t keep relying on an energy system that fails our people. Today’s blackout and the uncertainty around restoration continue to impact our economy and quality of life.

Even before officially taking office, I’ve met with energy and public safety teams to ensure swift action…

— Jenniffer González (@Jenniffer) December 31, 2024

We can’t keep relying on an energy system that fails our people. Today’s blackout and the uncertainty around restoration continue to impact our economy and quality of life. 

Even before officially taking office, I’ve met with energy and public safety teams to ensure swift action and updates. Restoring power is our priority. LUMA will provide hourly updates on progress.

When I take office as Governor, stabilizing Puerto Rico’s energy grid will be my top priority.

In the meantime, the majority of the island’s residents will have to celebrate the New Year in the dark.