Overview

• The blackout, which began on April 16, was triggered by an unexpected shutdown at all generating plants following a transmission fault.
• By April 17, power was restored to 56% of customers, and water service resumed for 83% of affected residents.
• Governor Jenniffer González has pledged to investigate the incident and is under pressure to cancel contracts with Luma Energy and Genera PR.
• The outage disrupted essential services, including hospitals and the San Juan Airport, which are operating on generators, though flights remain unaffected.
• This marks the second island-wide blackout in four months, highlighting the fragility of Puerto Rico's grid, which has faced chronic failures since Hurricane Maria in 2017.