Power Woes Plague Puerto Rico Amid Holiday Preparations

A massive blackout affected nearly all of Puerto Rico as the island prepared for New Year's Eve celebrations. Over 1.2 million customers were left without power. Luma Energy, responsible for electricity distribution, noted ongoing efforts to resolve the issue amid Puerto Rico’s ongoing power infrastructure challenges.

A massive blackout hit nearly all of Puerto Rico early Tuesday, just as the island was gearing up to ring in the New Year. The outage left more than 1.2 million of the 1.47 million power customers in the dark, according to Luma Energy, the company managing the island's electricity transmission and distribution.

Currently, the exact cause of the widespread electricity interruption remains unclear, and there is no definitive timeline for restoring power. Attempts to reach officials from Luma for comment were initially unsuccessful. However, the company communicated over X that it is coordinating efforts with various power generation crews and companies to address the outage and promised updates as developments unfold.

The blackout is a stark reminder of Puerto Rico's ongoing struggles with power outages, which have been a common and chronic issue since Hurricane Maria devastated the island's grid in September 2017. Even prior to the storm, the power system was in decline, exacerbated by a lack of maintenance and investment over the years.

(With inputs from agencies.)