Puerto Rico's Power Play: A Grid Failure Shuts Down Celebrations

Puerto Rico experienced a massive power outage on New Year's Eve, affecting 90% of the island. LUMA Energy blamed an underground line failure, causing widespread disruption. Governor Pedro Pierluisi demands answers, while local residents like Ramon Luis Nieves express frustration over the aging infrastructure.

Puerto Rico was plunged into darkness on New Year's Eve after a grid failure left nearly the entire island without electricity, affecting around 90% of clients. The outage was reported to have occurred by 09:30 local time, as indicated by LUMA Energy's real-time portal.

LUMA Energy stated that the outage, suspected to stem from an underground line failure, would take 24 to 48 hours to rectify, conditions permitting. The renewed outage has ignited frustration among residents, who have long been dealing with the island's crumbling infrastructure.

The island's Governor, Pedro Pierluisi, demanded transparency and swift action from LUMA and power generator Genera. In the wake of Hurricane Maria and the persistent failure to update aging infrastructure, locals and officials are pushing for answers and reforms.

(With inputs from agencies.)