Puerto Rico Power Outages Plunge Many Into Darkness on New Year’s Eve

A sweeping blackout hit Puerto Rico early Tuesday morning, plunging most of the island into darkness on New Year’s Eve.

Across the island, which has long been plagued with widespread power outages, residents woke up with a familiar feeling of resignation and deep frustration, as officials warned that the power outage would probably persist through Wednesday’s New Year celebrations.

Nearly 90 percent of Puerto Rico’s 1.4 million utility customers were without power on Tuesday morning in what was described as a “systemwide” blackout, according to Luma Energy, a private Canadian American consortium that took control of the U.S. territory’s energy grid in 2021.

Preliminary findings suggested that the blackout had been set off by a fault on an underground line, the company said, adding that it planned to restore power in phases in a process that could take up to 48 hours, “conditions permitting.”

The blackout put a damper on the New Year’s holiday, which Puerto Ricans typically celebrate by gathering in town squares and family homes — to drink, eat typical holiday dishes and set off fireworks.