Puerto Rico faces widespread blackout as over 1.3m left without power

Luma Energy says nearly 90% of Puerto Rico’s 1.47 million customers were affected by the blackout

A widespread blackout struck nearly all of Puerto Rico early on Tuesday, leaving over 1.3 million customers without power just as the island prepared to ring in the New Year. Officials have warned that it may take up to two days to restore electricity.

The outage, which began at dawn, left the island in an unsettling silence, with electrical appliances and air conditioning units shutting down. For those who could afford generators, they quickly turned them on to try and maintain some comfort.

“It had to be on the 31st of December!” exclaimed Manuel, who was outside a grocery store in the capital, San Juan, lamenting that the blackout had coincided with his birthday. “There is no happiness.”

According to Luma Energy, the private company responsible for electricity transmission and distribution, nearly 90% of Puerto Rico's 1.47 million customers were affected. The company has estimated that power will be restored within 24 to 48 hours, depending on conditions.

Luma Energy has stated that the outage was caused by a failure in an underground power line and assured that efforts are underway to restore power “in the quickest and safest way possible.” A spokesman confirmed that the cause of the incident is under investigation.

The company responsible for power generation, Genera PR, could not be reached for immediate comment.

With no clear timeline for the return of electricity, many residents were already making alternative plans. "I’ll go to my balcony. That’s where I’ll sleep,” said 63-year-old Raúl Pacheco, a diabetic who was seated on a walker, nursing an injured foot.

Julio Córdova, a municipal worker, was seen raking leaves by the light of his cellphone, adding that he planned to buy candles. "This affects me because I had plans. Couldn’t it have been yesterday or tomorrow?" he said, shaking his head.

Although blackouts are rare in Puerto Rico, the island continues to grapple with chronic power outages, a problem exacerbated by its ageing power grid, which was severely damaged by Hurricane Maria, a Category 4 storm that devastated Puerto Rico in September 2017.