Latest news with #JosuéColón
New York Times
17-04-2025
- Business
- New York Times
More Than Half of Puerto Rico Remains Without Power
Nearly 60 percent of Puerto Rico's more than 1.4 million utility customers remained without power on Thursday, the morning after a blackout knocked all of the island's functioning power plants offline and left the entire island in the dark. Service was unlikely to be fully restored before the early hours of Friday, Josué Colón, Puerto Rico's energy czar, said in a news conference early Thursday. That was how long it would take, he said, to get all the power plants back online after the systemwide shutdown. 'There's still a long road for the recovery of more than 50 percent of the island,' Gov. Jenniffer González-Colón said. As of 7 a.m. Thursday, about 610,000 customers — about 41.5 percent of the total — had electricity, according to Luma Energy, the private contractor that operates the island's power transmission system. A utility customer may be a house, an apartment building, a business, a government building or some other facility. Critical institutions that were back online Thursday included a number of hospitals and the airport in San Juan, the capital, Luma said in a statement. The blackout happened because of a series of failures in the power transmission system, the company said, but why they happened has not yet been established. Luma has asked for three days to identify the likely cause. The utility said that a preliminary review showed that something had gone wrong with a protective system that is intended to keep the entire power grid from shutting down when there is a breakdown on a single line — and that a transmission line in western Puerto Rico might have been affected by overgrowth. Ms. González-Colón, who was elected last year after campaigning on a promise to cancel Luma's contract, said the utility was required to patrol its lines by helicopter to spot overgrowth and prevent it from causing disruptions. Luma said it had been complying with that requirement, but the governor said she was skeptical and exasperated. 'It can't happen that every time there's a little branch, it knocks out not just a line but the entire system,' she said. The governor also questioned whether the system was able to handle the higher demand for power during holidays, noting that the blackout on Wednesday happened during Holy Week, when many Puerto Ricans are on vacation, and that a similar blackout happened on New Year's Eve. Puerto Rico faces a looming power generation shortage. Officials warned last month that there would probably be insufficient power supply to meet peak demand over the summer. The government has solicited bids for an additional operator or operators to provide more power on the island.
NBC News
17-04-2025
- Business
- NBC News
Puerto Rico goes completely dark after another islandwide power outage
The island of Puerto Rico is suffering another islandwide power outage, just months after a dayslong blackout on New Year's Eve kept residents in the dark. Luma Energy said the complete interruption to its service began at about 12:40 p.m. Wednesday. That means all 1.4 million customers on the island were without power. "While the cause of the interruption is being investigated, preliminary findings indicate an unexpected shutdown at all generating plants," the company said. In an update early Thursday, Luma said 175,002 customers had service restored, comprising 11.9% of all customers. At least 328,000 clients were without water, officials said. Luma said the goal was for 90% of electricity customers to have service restored within 48 to 72 hours. The agency said six hospitals, Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport and two dams in Carraízo and La Plata had regained power by Wednesday night. Genera Power, a private company tasked with managing and operating some power generation units owned by the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, said it experienced "a massive power outage across the island." Dozens of people were forced to walk next to the rails of the rapid transit system that serves the capital, San Juan, while scores of businesses — including the biggest mall in the Caribbean — were forced to close. Professional baseball and basketball games were canceled as the hum of generators and the smell of smoke filled the air. Traffic became snarled as police officers were deployed to busy intersections. 'This is unacceptable,' said Josué Colón, the island's so-called energy czar and former executive director of Puerto Rico's Electric Power Authority. Thousands of Puerto Ricans were fuming over the latest outage, with many renewing their calls that the government cancel the contract with Luma and Genera PR, which oversees generation of power on the island. 'This is a total disaster,' Orlando Huertas, 68, said as he sipped a drink with a friend at a streetside bar and criticized the government for not doing enough to tackle the chronic outages. Reggaeton superstar Bad Bunny echoed the collective rage, writing on X: 'When are we going to do something?' Puerto Rico's Center of Emergency Management is coordinating with Luma and Genera to address emergency situations, it said on social media. The San Juan airport is running on electric generators, limiting some of its services, it said on X. "Flights are operating normally and are uninterrupted," the airport said. "We recommend passengers to arrive to the airport with plenty of time." The New Year's Eve power outage, which lasted two days, was caused by an issue with an underground cable, Luma said in January. It's the latest in an ongoing struggle for the island since Hurricane Maria severely damaged Puerto Rico's power grid. Puerto Ricans pay twice as much for electricity as those in the U.S. mainland, despite the unreliable service. Residents have grown angry and frustrated with power outages that have grown more frequent and last longer.
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.
Los Angeles Times
16-04-2025
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
Islandwide blackout hits Puerto Rico as residents prepare for Easter weekend
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — An islandwide blackout hit Puerto Rico on Wednesday as the largely Catholic residents of the U.S. territory prepared to celebrate the Easter weekend, officials said. All 1.4 million customers on the island were without power, Hugo Sorrentini, spokesman for Luma Energy, which oversees the transmission and distribution of power, told the Associated Press. 'The entire island is without generation,' he said. Meanwhile, at least 78,000 customers were without water, with officials warning that power probably won't be fully restored for an additional 48 to 72 hours. 'This is unacceptable,' said Josué Colón, the island's energy czar and former executive director of Puerto Rico's Electric Power Authority. It was not immediately clear what caused the shutdown, the latest in a string of major blackouts on the island in recent years. Gov. Jenniffer González-Colón, who was traveling, said officials were 'working diligently' to address the outage. Thousands of Puerto Ricans were fuming over the latest outage, with many renewing their calls for the government to cancel the contract with Luma and Genera PR, which oversees generation of power on the island. Dozens of people were forced to walk next to the rails of the rapid transit system that serves the capital, San Juan, while scores of businesses including the biggest mall in the Caribbean were forced to close. Professional baseball and basketball games were canceled as the hum of generators and smell of smoke filled the air. Traffic became snarled and police officers were deployed to busy intersections. By late Wednesday afternoon, some 5,000 to 7,000 customers had their power restored, although that number is expected to fluctuate. Those without generators crowded around grocery stores and other businesses to buy ice. Daniel Hernández, vice president of operations at Genera PR, said at a news conference that a disturbance hit the transmission system shortly after noon, during a time when the grid is vulnerable because there are not many machines regulating frequency at that hour. Verónica Ferraiuoli, acting governor and secretary of state for Puerto Rico, said White House officials reached out to local officials and have said they are available if needed. The last islandwide blackout occurred on New Year's Eve. Puerto Rico has struggled with chronic outages since September 2017 when Hurricane Maria pummeled the island as a powerful Category 4 storm, razing a power grid that crews are still struggling to rebuild. The grid already had been deteriorating as a result of decades of inadequate maintenance and investment. Coto writes for the Associated Press.
CNN
16-04-2025
- Climate
- CNN
Island-wide blackout hits Puerto Rico as residents prepare for Easter weekend
San Juan, Puerto Rico (AP) — An island-wide blackout hit Puerto Rico on Wednesday as the largely Catholic residents of the U.S. territory prepared to celebrate the Easter weekend, officials said. All 1.4 million clients on the island were without power, Hugo Sorrentini, spokesman for Luma Energy, which oversees the transmission and distribution of power, told The Associated Press. 'The entire island is without generation,' he said. Meanwhile, at least 78,000 clients were without water, with officials warning that power likely won't be fully restored for another 48 to 72 hours. 'This is unacceptable,' said Josué Colón, the island's so-called energy czar and former executive director of Puerto Rico's Electric Power Authority. It was not immediately clear what caused the shutdown, the latest in a string of major blackouts on the island in recent years. Gov. Jenniffer González, who was traveling, said officials were 'working diligently' to address the outage. Thousands of Puerto Ricans were fuming over the latest outage, with many renewing their calls that the government cancel the contract with Luma and Genera PR, which oversees generation of power on the island. Dozens of people were forced to walk next to the rails of the rapid transit system that serves the capital, San Juan, while scores of businesses including the biggest mall in the Caribbean were forced to close. Professional baseball and basketball games were cancelled as the hum of generators and smell of smoke filled the air. Daniel Hernández, vice president of operations at Genera PR, said at a news conference that a disturbance hit the transmission system shortly after noon, during a time when the grid is vulnerable because there are not many machines regulating frequency at that hour. Verónica Ferraiuoli, acting governor and secretary of state for Puerto Rico, said the White House reached out to local officials and have said they are available if needed. The last island-wide blackout occurred on New Year's Eve. Puerto Rico has struggled with chronic outages since September 2017 when Hurricane Maria pummeled the island as a powerful Category 4 storm, razing a power grid that crews are still struggling to rebuild. The grid already had been deteriorating as a result of decades of a lack of maintenance and investment.
