1.3 million people were affected.
Puerto Rico experienced another major power outage on Tuesday, leaving approximately 1.3 million customers—around 80% of the island—without electricity. The outage began early in the morning, around 5:30 a.m., due to an infrastructure issue at a power plant on the southern coast of the island, according to LUMA Energy, the company responsible for the island’s electrical grid.
LUMA identified the issue as an underground cable fault and reported that efforts were underway to restore power. The company stated that the power restoration process would occur in phases, with some customers already receiving power. Full restoration was expected to take between 24 and 48 hours, depending on the conditions. Josué Colón, the director of the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, explained that a problem with a power line in the south triggered a cascade failure, affecting multiple power plants. He indicated that repairs would take much of the day to complete.
Governor Pedro Pierluisi expressed his concerns on social media, noting that he was in contact with both LUMA and Genera PR, a private energy company. He demanded quick answers and actions to address the outage, particularly from Genera PR, which manages power stations on the island. He emphasized the importance of restoring power quickly and keeping the public informed about the progress.
The ongoing power issues are a source of frustration for Puerto Ricans, who have faced frequent outages in recent years. Earlier this summer, a series of blackouts led to protests, prompting the mayor of San Juan to declare a state of emergency. These protests eventually led to the U.S.-owned Genera PR taking control of the island’s aging power plants, many of which are over 45 years old and heavily reliant on fossil fuels. In August, more than 700,000 customers were left without power after Tropical Storm Ernesto impacted the island.
