Puerto Rico Faces Widespread Blackout on New Year’s Eve

A critical power grid failure left over 1.3 million residents without electricity, with restoration efforts expected to take up to 48 hours.

The blackout, which began early Tuesday morning, affected nearly 90% of Puerto Rico's 1.47 million utility customers, according to Luma Energy.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the outage was caused by a fault in an underground power line, triggering a cascading failure across the grid.
Power has been restored to critical facilities such as hospitals and water plants, but full restoration could take up to two days.
The incident highlights the ongoing fragility of Puerto Rico's power grid, which has faced chronic issues since Hurricane Maria in 2017.
Governor-elect Jenniffer González-Colón has pledged to prioritize energy infrastructure reforms, including the potential appointment of an 'energy czar' to oversee grid improvements.