Puerto Rico Faces Island-Wide Power Outage

Puerto Rico Power Outage

Puerto Rico Hit by Island-Wide Power Outage, Officials Scramble to Restore Electricity

San Juan, Puerto Rico – April 17, 2025

Puerto Rico was plunged into darkness late last night as a massive power outage left the entire island without electricity, marking one of the worst blackouts in recent years. The outage has disrupted daily life, shutting down businesses, hospitals, and transportation systems, while officials struggle to determine the cause.

Widespread Chaos as Grid Collapses

The blackout began around 10:30 PM Wednesday night, with residents reporting flickering lights before a complete loss of power. Social media quickly flooded with complaints as people across the island—from San Juan to Ponce—found themselves without air conditioning, refrigeration, or internet access.

Luma Energy, the private company responsible for power distribution, confirmed the outage but has yet to provide a full explanation. Preliminary reports suggest a failure at the Costa Sur generation plant, one of the island’s main power sources, may have triggered a cascading collapse.

Hospitals on Backup Power, Schools Closed

Emergency generators kicked in at major hospitals, but some smaller clinics reported struggles to maintain critical services. The Puerto Rico Department of Health urged residents to check on vulnerable family members as temperatures soar into the high 80s.

Governor Pedro Pierluisi declared a state of emergency, activating the National Guard to assist with recovery efforts. 'We are working around the clock to restore power as quickly as possible,' he said in a press conference. 'This is an unacceptable failure, and we demand answers.'

Frustration Grows Over Persistent Grid Problems

This latest outage has reignited anger over Puerto Rico’s fragile energy infrastructure, which has suffered from chronic underinvestment since Hurricane Maria devastated the grid in 2017. Despite billions in federal aid for repairs, frequent blackouts and voltage fluctuations remain common.

Protesters gathered outside Luma Energy’s headquarters, chanting, '¡Luma fuera!' (Luma out!) and demanding the government take control of the grid. 'We can’t keep living like this,' said Marisol Rodríguez, a restaurant owner in Santurce. 'Every month, there’s a new problem. When will we have a reliable system?'

Restoration Efforts Underway

As of Thursday morning, Luma reported that power had been restored to about 30% of customers, with priority given to hospitals and water pumping stations. However, full restoration could take days, leaving many residents bracing for extended disruptions.

The incident has drawn attention from U.S. lawmakers, with several members of Congress calling for an investigation into Puerto Rico’s energy crisis. Meanwhile, residents are left coping with the fallout—again.

Updates to follow as the situation develops.

Would you like any modifications or additional details?

Puerto Rico Faces Island-Wide Power Outage

Report Page