Puerto Rico's Chronic Blackouts Spark Federal Scrutiny and Public Outrage
A massive island-wide blackout on April 16, 2025, plunged Puerto Rico into darkness, affecting over 1.2 million customers and highlighting the precarious state of the U.S. territory's power grid. The outage, which Luma Energy initially said could take up to two days to restore, was largely resolved within 48 hours, with power returning to nearly 98.8% of customers by early Friday. Governor Jenniffer González pledged to improve the crumbling infrastructure while urging citizens to moderate energy consumption, warning the island has no additional power generation capacity to fall back on. The blackout has intensified scrutiny of Luma Energy, the Canadian-American private company responsible for power distribution since taking over in 2021. Officials are demanding an explanation for the latest failure, which follows a history of chronic outages. The crisis has transcended local politics, gaining national attention when artist Bad Bunny used his Super Bowl platform to highlight the issue. Critics argue that federal energy policy, including the oversight board created by Congress in 2016, has deepened the island's power divide by charging high costs without delivering reliable service. The ongoing instability raises fundamental questions about responsibility and solutions. As a U.S. territory governed by federal authority, the situation is framed as 'America’s problem.' The blackouts have spurred discussions about alternative energy sources, with some pointing to solar modular energy as a potential answer to the island's vulnerability. The event underscores the urgent need for a sustainable and resilient energy strategy to prevent future crises.
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After chronic outages, Puerto Rico governor pledges to improve island's crumbling power grid | PBS News
Left: A couple take a selfie in ... massive power outage in mid-April where energy plants across the island unexpectedly shut down in San Juan. Photo by Ricardo Arduengo/Reuters · Puerto Rico officials demand answers after latest island-wide blackout ... Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis ...
Israel Meléndez Ayala is a historian and writer. He publishes a biweekly newsletter, Crítica. ... Roy Jiménez walks with three bags of ice for his refrigerator during a massive power blackout affected the entire island on April 16, 2025 in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Created by Congress in 2016 to ... charging Puerto Rico handsomely for the privilege. The island is a U.S. territory governed, in key ways, by federal authority. When Washington creates an oversight board, controls the purse strings and appoints leadership, it owns the outcome. Every prolonged blackout, every stalled ...
A major power outage plunged much of Puerto Rico into darkness Tuesday, with the US island territory's electric utility saying restoration could take up to two days. The "island-wide blackout" began at 5:30 am (0930 GMT), Luma Energy said in a social media statement.
Power restored to nearly all customers in Puerto Rico after island-wide blackout, officials say - CBS News
Power was restored early Friday to nearly all customers in Puerto Rico after an island-wide blackout hit earlier this week, authorities said. More than 1.45 million customers – or about 98.8% – had electricity less than 48 hours after the outage hit, according to Luma Energy, which oversees ...
Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share ... SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Puerto Rico’s governor on Monday urged people to moderate their energy consumption as she warned that the island has no additional power generation capability to fall back on days after a massive blackout hit the U.S. territory. Gov. Jenniffer González said officials are waiting for an explanation from Luma ...
Canadian-American LUMA Energy, the private power company responsible for power distribution in the island, claimed the blackouts were due to "bad weather." The LUMA portal, which has 1.5 million subscribers, counted a total of 25,880 customers without service throughout the island at 10:20 pm local time on December 24, 2025, according to Dominican Republic-based newspaper ...
What to know about Luma Energy, the company involved in Puerto Rico's massive blackout - CBS News
Alain Sherter is a senior managing editor with CBS News. He covers business, economics, money and workplace issues for CBS MoneyWatch. Read Full Bio ... A massive power outage blanketed most of Puerto Rico early Tuesday, leaving more than 1.2 million people without electricity. Here's what to know about the blackout and Luma Energy...
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