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Chicago Tribune
17-04-2025
- General
- Chicago Tribune
A look at why an island-wide blackout hit Puerto Rico and what caused it
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — An island-wide blackout hit Puerto Rico this week, leaving 1.4 million customers without power and more than 400,000 without water. It was the second massive outage to hit Puerto Rico since New Year's Eve, when a blackout left 90% of clients without power. Crews on Thursday scrambled to restore power as a growing number of Puerto Ricans called on the governor to cancel the contracts of two companies that oversee the generation, transmission and distribution of power on the U.S. territory of 3.2 million residents. When did the blackout occur? At 12:38 p.m. on Wednesday, massive generating plants began to shut down across Puerto Rico after a transmission line failed. Refrigerators stopped humming, air conditioners fell silent and traffic lights went dark. People started realizing the magnitude of the outage when they began calling friends and family that live on the other side of the island who said that they, too, were without power. Hundreds of businesses closed, including the biggest mall in the Caribbean. Hospitals and the main international airport began running on generators while dozens of passengers using a rapid transit system that serves the capital, San Juan, were forced to walk on an overpass next to the train's rails to evacuate. Incredulous, Puerto Ricans began demanding answers from the government as crews scrambled to find out what happened. 'When are we going to do something?' reggaeton superstar Bad Bunny wrote on X, reflecting people's collective rage. Anger grew as people began posting pictures of those affected by the blackout, including one of a woman who had plugged a small machine into the outlet of a grocery store to give herself medical treatment for a lung condition. Why did it occur? Authorities are still investigating the causes of the blackout. One possibility is that overgrown vegetation may have affected the grid and caused a transmission line to fail, officials said. Luma Energy, the company responsible for overseeing transmission and distribution of power in Puerto Rico, is supposed to do frequent air patrols over certain lines to ensure they remain free of vegetation. Pedro Meléndez, a Luma engineer, said in a news conference Thursday that he did not immediately have details on when the company last did an air patrol, but added that those occur with the frequency established in its contract. Josué Colón, the island's energy czar and former executive director of Puerto Rico's Electric Power Authority, said Luma also needs to explain why all the generators shut down after there was a failure in the transmission system, when only one was supposed to go into protective mode. It'll likely take weeks to find a precise reason for the blackout, although Gov. Jenniffer González said Thursday that she expects to have a very preliminary report within three days. Why is Puerto Rico's power grid in such bad shape? For decades, Puerto Rico's Electric Power Authority did not give the grid the maintenance and investment it required. It began crumbling throughout the years, and then on Sept. 20, 2017, Hurricane Maria hit the U.S. territory as a powerful Category 4 storm. It snapped power lines, toppled transmission towers and broke flimsy wooden light posts, leaving some people nearly a year without power. In the months that followed, crews focused on emergency repairs. It wasn't until a couple years after the hurricane that actual reconstruction began. In June 2021, the Electric Power Authority contracted Luma as it struggled to restructure its more than $9 billion debt, with negotiations still ongoing. In January 2023, the authority contracted Genera PR to oversee the generation of power on the island as part of another public-private partnership. Puerto Rico has been plagued by chronic power outages since Maria, with pictures and videos of transmission lines on fire becoming increasingly common. González has said that providing consistent energy is a priority and distanced herself from renewable energy goals set by the previous governor. Her administration recently extended the operations of Puerto Rico's lone coal-fired plant. Meanwhile, with a poverty rate exceeding 40%, many on the island cannot afford solar panels or generators. Roughly 117,000 homes and businesses on the island have solar rooftops. Petroleum-fired power plants provide 62% of Puerto Rico's power, natural gas 24%, coal 8% and renewables 7%, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. What are officials doing to improve the grid? A growing number of Puerto Ricans have demanded that the governor cancel Luma's contract, and she has pledged to do so. 'People must be fed up with us having such a mediocre system. If it's not the transmission, it's the generation,' González said. 'Of course there will be consequences.' However, she noted that canceling the contract and finding a new company takes time. Officials also previously warned that there would not be sufficient generation come summer, when demand peaks. Given that concern, González said the government is seeking to contract a company that can provide more than 800 megawatts of energy in the upcoming months. The request-for-proposal process began on March 25 and ends this month. Sixty companies have submitted proposals. Originally Published: April 17, 2025 at 11:16 AM CDT
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
A look at why an island-wide blackout hit Puerto Rico and what caused it
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — An island-wide blackout hit Puerto Rico this week, leaving 1.4 million customers without power and more than 400,000 without water. It was the second massive outage to hit Puerto Rico since New Year's Eve, when a blackout left 90% of clients without power. Crews on Thursday scrambled to restore power as a growing number of Puerto Ricans called on the governor to cancel the contracts of two companies that oversee the generation, transmission and distribution of power on the U.S. territory of 3.2 million residents. When did the blackout occur? At 12:38 p.m. on Wednesday, massive generating plants began to shut down across Puerto Rico after a transmission line failed. Refrigerators stopped humming, air conditioners fell silent and traffic lights went dark. People started realizing the magnitude of the outage when they began calling friends and family that live on the other side of the island who said that they, too, were without power. Hundreds of businesses closed, including the biggest mall in the Caribbean. Hospitals and the main international airport began running on generators while dozens of passengers using a rapid transit system that serves the capital, San Juan, were forced to walk on an overpass next to the train's rails to evacuate. Incredulous, Puerto Ricans began demanding answers from the government as crews scrambled to find out what happened. 'When are we going to do something?' reggaeton superstar Bad Bunny wrote on X, reflecting people's collective rage. Anger grew as people began posting pictures of those affected by the blackout, including one of a woman who had plugged a small machine into the outlet of a grocery store to give herself medical treatment for a lung condition. Why did it occur? Authorities are still investigating the causes of the blackout. One possibility is that overgrown vegetation may have affected the grid and caused a transmission line to fail, officials said. Luma Energy, the company responsible for overseeing transmission and distribution of power in Puerto Rico, is supposed to do frequent air patrols over certain lines to ensure they remain free of vegetation. Pedro Meléndez, a Luma engineer, said in a news conference Thursday that he did not immediately have details on when the company last did an air patrol, but added that those occur with the frequency established in its contract. Josué Colón, the island's energy czar and former executive director of Puerto Rico's Electric Power Authority, said Luma also needs to explain why all the generators shut down after there was a failure in the transmission system, when only one was supposed to go into protective mode. It'll likely take weeks to find a precise reason for the blackout, although Gov. Jenniffer González said Thursday that she expects to have a very preliminary report within three days. Why is Puerto Rico's power grid in such bad shape? For decades, Puerto Rico's Electric Power Authority did not give the grid the maintenance and investment it required. It began crumbling throughout the years, and then on Sept. 20, 2017, Hurricane Maria hit the U.S. territory as a powerful Category 4 storm. It snapped power lines, toppled transmission towers and broke flimsy wooden light posts, leaving some people nearly a year without power. In the months that followed, crews focused on emergency repairs. It wasn't until a couple years after the hurricane that actual reconstruction began. In June 2021, the Electric Power Authority contracted Luma as it struggled to restructure its more than $9 billion debt, with negotiations still ongoing. In January 2023, the authority contracted Genera PR to oversee the generation of power on the island as part of another public-private partnership. Puerto Rico has been plagued by chronic power outages since Maria, with pictures and videos of transmission lines on fire becoming increasingly common. González has said that providing consistent energy is a priority and distanced herself from renewable energy goals set by the previous governor. Her administration recently extended the operations of Puerto Rico's lone coal-fired plant. Meanwhile, with a poverty rate exceeding 40%, many on the island cannot afford solar panels or generators. Roughly 117,000 homes and businesses on the island have solar rooftops. Petroleum-fired power plants provide 62% of Puerto Rico's power, natural gas 24%, coal 8% and renewables 7%, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. What are officials doing to improve the grid? A growing number of Puerto Ricans have demanded that the governor cancel Luma's contract, and she has pledged to do so. 'People must be fed up with us having such a mediocre system. If it's not the transmission, it's the generation,' González said. 'Of course there will be consequences.' However, she noted that canceling the contract and finding a new company takes time. Officials also previously warned that there would not be sufficient generation come summer, when demand peaks. Given that concern, González said the government is seeking to contract a company that can provide more than 800 megawatts of energy in the upcoming months. The request-for-proposal process began on March 25 and ends this month. Sixty companies have submitted proposals. ____ Follow AP's coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at
Boston Globe
17-04-2025
- General
- Boston Globe
A look at why an island-wide blackout hit Puerto Rico and what caused it
When did the blackout occur? At 12:38 p.m. on Wednesday, massive generating plants began to shut down across Puerto Rico after a transmission line failed. Refrigerators stopped humming, air conditioners fell silent and traffic lights went dark. People started realizing the magnitude of the outage when they began calling friends and family that live on the other side of the island who said that they, too, were without power. Hundreds of businesses closed, including the biggest mall in the Caribbean. Hospitals and the main international airport began running on generators while dozens of passengers using a rapid transit system that serves the capital, San Juan, were forced to walk on an overpass next to the train's rails to evacuate. Advertisement Incredulous, Puerto Ricans began demanding answers from the government as crews scrambled to find out what happened. 'When are we going to do something?' reggaeton superstar Bad Bunny wrote on X, reflecting people's collective rage. Anger grew as people began posting pictures of those affected by the blackout, including one of a woman who had plugged a small machine into the outlet of a grocery store to give herself medical treatment for a lung condition. Advertisement Why did it occur? Authorities are still investigating the causes of the blackout. One possibility is that overgrown vegetation may have affected the grid and caused a transmission line to fail, officials said. Luma Energy, the company responsible for overseeing transmission and distribution of power in Puerto Rico, is supposed to do frequent air patrols over certain lines to ensure they remain free of vegetation. Pedro Meléndez, a Luma engineer, said in a news conference Thursday that he did not immediately have details on when the company last did an air patrol, but added that those occur with the frequency established in its contract. Josué Colón, the island's energy czar and former executive director of Puerto Rico's Electric Power Authority, said Luma also needs to explain why all the generators shut down after there was a failure in the transmission system, when only one was supposed to go into protective mode. It'll likely take weeks to find a precise reason for the blackout, although Gov. Jenniffer González said Thursday that she expects to have a very preliminary report within three days. Why is Puerto Rico's power grid in such bad shape? For decades, Puerto Rico's Electric Power Authority did not give the grid the maintenance and investment it required. It began crumbling throughout the years, and then on Sept. 20, 2017, Hurricane Maria hit the U.S. territory as a powerful Category 4 storm. It snapped power lines, toppled transmission towers and broke flimsy wooden light posts, leaving some people nearly a year without power. In the months that followed, crews focused on emergency repairs. It wasn't until a couple years after the hurricane that actual reconstruction began. Advertisement In June 2021, the Electric Power Authority contracted Luma as it struggled to restructure its more than $9 billion debt, with negotiations still ongoing. In January 2023, the authority contracted Genera PR to oversee the generation of power on the island as part of another public-private partnership. Puerto Rico has been plagued by chronic power outages since Maria, with pictures and videos of transmission lines on fire becoming increasingly common. González has said that providing consistent energy is a priority and distanced herself from renewable energy goals set by the previous governor. Her administration recently extended the operations of Puerto Rico's lone coal-fired plant. Meanwhile, with a poverty rate exceeding 40%, many on the island cannot afford solar panels or generators. Roughly 117,000 homes and businesses on the island have solar rooftops. Petroleum-fired power plants provide 62% of Puerto Rico's power, natural gas 24%, coal 8% and renewables 7%, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. What are officials doing to improve the grid? A growing number of Puerto Ricans have demanded that the governor cancel Luma's contract, and she has pledged to do so. 'People must be fed up with us having such a mediocre system. If it's not the transmission, it's the generation,' González said. 'Of course there will be consequences.' However, she noted that canceling the contract and finding a new company takes time. Officials also previously warned that there would not be sufficient generation come summer, when demand peaks. Given that concern, González said the government is seeking to contract a company that can provide more than 800 megawatts of energy in the upcoming months. The request-for-proposal process began on March 25 and ends this month. Sixty companies have submitted proposals. Advertisement
Associated Press
17-04-2025
- General
- Associated Press
A look at why an island-wide blackout hit Puerto Rico and what caused it
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — An island-wide blackout hit Puerto Rico this week, leaving 1.4 million customers without power and more than 400,000 without water. It was the second massive outage to hit Puerto Rico since New Year's Eve, when a blackout left 90% of clients without power. Crews on Thursday scrambled to restore power as a growing number of Puerto Ricans called on the governor to cancel the contracts of two companies that oversee the generation, transmission and distribution of power on the U.S. territory of 3.2 million residents. When did the blackout occur? At 12:38 p.m. on Wednesday, massive generating plants began to shut down across Puerto Rico after a transmission line failed. Refrigerators stopped humming, air conditioners fell silent and traffic lights went dark. People started realizing the magnitude of the outage when they began calling friends and family that live on the other side of the island who said that they, too, were without power. Hundreds of businesses closed, including the biggest mall in the Caribbean. Hospitals and the main international airport began running on generators while dozens of passengers using a rapid transit system that serves the capital, San Juan, were forced to walk on an overpass next to the train's rails to evacuate. Incredulous, Puerto Ricans began demanding answers from the government as crews scrambled to find out what happened. 'When are we going to do something?' reggaeton superstar Bad Bunny wrote on X, reflecting people's collective rage. Anger grew as people began posting pictures of those affected by the blackout, including one of a woman who had plugged a small machine into the outlet of a grocery store to give herself medical treatment for a lung condition. Why did it occur? Authorities are still investigating the causes of the blackout. One possibility is that overgrown vegetation may have affected the grid and caused a transmission line to fail, officials said. Luma Energy, the company responsible for overseeing transmission and distribution of power in Puerto Rico, is supposed to do frequent air patrols over certain lines to ensure they remain free of vegetation. Pedro Meléndez, a Luma engineer, said in a news conference Thursday that he did not immediately have details on when the company last did an air patrol, but added that those occur with the frequency established in its contract. Josué Colón, the island's energy czar and former executive director of Puerto Rico's Electric Power Authority, said Luma also needs to explain why all the generators shut down after there was a failure in the transmission system, when only one was supposed to go into protective mode. It'll likely take weeks to find a precise reason for the blackout, although Gov. Jenniffer González said Thursday that she expects to have a very preliminary report within three days. Why is Puerto Rico's power grid in such bad shape? For decades, Puerto Rico's Electric Power Authority did not give the grid the maintenance and investment it required. It began crumbling throughout the years, and then on Sept. 20, 2017, Hurricane Maria hit the U.S. territory as a powerful Category 4 storm. It snapped power lines, toppled transmission towers and broke flimsy wooden light posts, leaving some people nearly a year without power. In the months that followed, crews focused on emergency repairs. It wasn't until a couple years after the hurricane that actual reconstruction began. In June 2021, the Electric Power Authority contracted Luma as it struggled to restructure its more than $9 billion debt, with negotiations still ongoing. In January 2023, the authority contracted Genera PR to oversee the generation of power on the island as part of another public-private partnership. Puerto Rico has been plagued by chronic power outages since Maria, with pictures and videos of transmission lines on fire becoming increasingly common. González has said that providing consistent energy is a priority and distanced herself from renewable energy goals set by the previous governor. Her administration recently extended the operations of Puerto Rico's lone coal-fired plant. Meanwhile, with a poverty rate exceeding 40%, many on the island cannot afford solar panels or generators. Roughly 117,000 homes and businesses on the island have solar rooftops. Petroleum-fired power plants provide 62% of Puerto Rico's power, natural gas 24%, coal 8% and renewables 7%, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. What are officials doing to improve the grid? A growing number of Puerto Ricans have demanded that the governor cancel Luma's contract, and she has pledged to do so. 'People must be fed up with us having such a mediocre system. If it's not the transmission, it's the generation,' González said. 'Of course there will be consequences.' However, she noted that canceling the contract and finding a new company takes time. Officials also previously warned that there would not be sufficient generation come summer, when demand peaks. Given that concern, González said the government is seeking to contract a company that can provide more than 800 megawatts of energy in the upcoming months. The request-for-proposal process began on March 25 and ends this month. Sixty companies have submitted proposals. ____ Follow AP's coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Puerto Rico slammed by island-wide blackout ahead of Easter weekend
At least 1.4 million customers in Puerto Rico lost power as the entire U.S. territory was hit by an island-wide blackout. The outage occurred at 12:38 p.m. on Wednesday, according to Luma Energy, the company responsible for power distribution and transmission across Puerto Rico, noting that it's working to restore electrical systems. The massive outage led to disarray across the island. Hundreds of thousands were without water, train passengers were forced to walk along the rails after power was lost, and unlit traffic lights triggered gridlock. The blackout occurred days before the largely Catholic island celebrates Easter. And it may be days before the lights come back on. 'This is unacceptable,' Josué Colón, the island's 'energy czar' and former executive director of Puerto Rico's Electric Power Authority, the Associated Press reported. Luma Energy is prioritizing restoring power to 'critical facilities,' like Centro Médico hospital, while 90 percent of customers' electricity will hopefully be restored within 48 to 72 hours, the company estimated in an 8 p.m. update posted to X. By 11 p.m. Wednesday, about 100,000 customers had their power restored. 'This event once again highlights the fragility of the electrical system, something LUMA has pointed out since the beginning of its operations,' the company said. 'We remain committed to transforming it into a safer and more reliable system for all customers in Puerto Rico.' Puerto Rico residents are no strangers to massive blackouts; the most recent occurred just months ago on New Year's Eve. 'It is unacceptable that we have a failure of this magnitude in the electrical transmission system,' Puerto Rico Governor Jenniffer González-Colón said Wednesday. She was on vacation when the territory went dark, but returned Wednesday night, according to AP. Both Interim Governor Veronica Ferraiuoli and Energy Czar Josué Colón are 'working diligently' with the energy sector to resolve the issue, the governor said in a statement. Both the island's hospitals, according to Ferraiuoli, and the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport were relying on generator power. "Flights are operating normally and are uninterrupted," the airport announced at 1.20 p.m. on X. "We recommend passengers to arrive to the airport with sufficient time." The cause of the outage is under investigation, power generator Genera PR said Wednesday on X.
