Power blackout hits Puerto Rico on New Year’s Eve
More than 1.3 million people left in the dark; restoration might take two days
New York: A blackout hit nearly all of Puerto Rico as the US territory prepared to celebrate New Year’s Eve, leaving more than 1.3 million people without power, according to an official source.
“The outage hit at dawn, plunging the island into an eerie silence as electrical appliances and air conditioners shut down before those who could afford generators turned them on,” said The Associated Press about the accident.
Nearly 90 per cent of 1.47 million clients across Puerto Rico were left in the dark, according to Luma Energy, a private company that oversees electricity transmission and distribution, Xinhua news agency reported. The company said it was activating emergency operations to restore power and described the blackout as “systemwide,” while restoring power could take up to two days.
“Puerto Rico has faced a series of blackouts since 2017, when Hurricane Maria severely damaged the island, including its power grid,” reported The New York Times.
The blackout appeared to be significantly bigger than the outages this summer. A blackout in June left about 3,50,000 customers without power. In August, 7,00,000 lost power in the wake of Hurricane Ernesto.
By Tuesday night, more than 3,36,000 people, including 16 hospitals and Puerto Rico’s water and sewer company, had power back, according to Luma. However, the company’s webpage detailing who remained without power was down. “We understand the deep frustration this outage has caused, especially on a day like today,” Luma said in a statement.
“We apologise for the disruption to your plans.” Governor-elect Jenniffer Gonzalez Colon, who is set to be sworn in on January 2, has called for the creation of an “energy czar” to review potential Luma contractual breaches while another operator is found. “We can’t keep relying on an energy system that fails our people,” she wrote on the social media platform X, adding that stabilizing Puerto Rico’s energy grid would be her top priority in office. Meanwhile, Governor Pedro Pierluisi said he was in touch with Luma and Genera PR, adding on X that “we are demanding answers and solutions”.
US President Joe Biden spoke with Pierluisi on Tuesday evening about the outage and offered federal assistance. Biden also spoke with US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm and directed her to offer any help needed to speed power restoration on the island. The outage forced businesses, parks and several malls to close, and the government announced limited schedules for some of its agencies. Workers checked on hundreds of bedridden patients and distributed ice for diabetics to keep their insulin cold.
