ECNETNews, December 31, 2024: Many residents of Puerto Rico are set to welcome the New Year in darkness due to a widespread power outage.
The island is facing a significant blackout just hours before New Year’s Eve celebrations, with only 14 percent of the 1.4 million utility customers having electricity, as reported by the local electricity provider.
Luma Energy has labeled the outage as “systemwide,” citing a fault in an underground line as the cause. Power restoration efforts are expected to be phased, with estimates suggesting a timeline of 24 to 48 hours, though officials caution that it could take longer.
In response to the situation, Governor Pedro Pierluisi has called for immediate action, emphasizing the need for answers and encouraging power companies to hasten their restoration efforts.
This outage significantly surpasses a previous incident in June, where 350,000 customers lost power. Puerto Rico has faced regular blackouts since Hurricane Maria severely damaged the island’s infrastructure in 2017.
While critical facilities such as Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport are operating on generators, many Puerto Ricans will be left without electricity as the New Year approaches.
