San Juan, Puerto Rico – Early Thursday
The power outage that began at noon Wednesday left 1.4 million customers without electricity and 328,000 water.
At the end of the day, at least 175,000 customers (or 12%) have power. Officials expect 90% of customers to restore power within 48 to 72 hours after the power outage.
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“It’s a pity for the people of Puerto Rico, we have such a huge problem,” Governor Jenniffer González said.
The roaring traffic of power outages forced hundreds of businesses to close, while those who could not afford generators scrambled to buy ice and candles.
This is the second power outage that hits Puerto Rico in less than four months The last one happened on New Year’s Eve.
“Why on holiday?” José Luis Richardson grabbed, without a generator and splashed water on himself every few hours to keep calm.
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The outages grow
With the increasing calls from Puerto Ricans, the roar of generators and smoke filled the air Contract with Luma Energysupervise the transmission and distribution of power supplies and supervise the generation of genera.
Gonzalez promised to listen to the calls.
“It’s not a question or a question,” she said, but added that it’s not a quick process. “Our failure is unacceptable.”
Gonzalez said a massive power outage like Wednesday would result in an estimated $230 million in revenue loss per day.
Ramón C, president of the Joint Retail Center, a nonprofit organization representing small and medium-sized enterprises. Barquín III warned that the ongoing power outages would shock potential investors when Puerto Rico is in desperate need of economic development.
“We will not be able to continue repeating this blackout cycle without specific measures to strengthen our energy infrastructure,” he said.
Many are also concerned about the elderly population of Puerto Rico, while the mayor of Cannovanas deployed brigades to visit bedridden people and those relying on electronic medical devices.
Meanwhile, Mayor Vega Alta opened a center that provides electricity to those with life-saving equipment.
Investigate the cause of the latest power outage
It is not clear what caused the closure, the latest news about a series of large power outages on the island in recent years.
Daniel Hernández, vice president of operations at PR, said Wednesday that there was a riot shortly after noon, when the grid was easily vulnerable because there were few machines adjusting the frequency.
The island’s power grid has been deteriorating due to lack of maintenance and investment.
Puerto Rico has struggled with a long-term power outage since September 2017 Hurricane Maria hits the island As a powerful Category 4 storm, put aside a power grid that is still working to rebuild. As the island has just begun to rebuild, it has been attacked again Hurricane Fiona in 2022.
The poverty rate of 3.2 million residents is over 40%, and not everyone can afford solar panels or generators. While efforts to use more renewable energy under the management of former U.S. President Joe Biden, which provides Puerto Rico with large generators and other resources, experts fear that it won’t happen under U.S. President Donald Trump.
