Blackout hits Puerto Rico; power restoration may take up to 48 hours

Puerto Rico was plunged into a widespread blackout following an unexpected failure across all power generation units on the island, including those operated by private providers.

According to a statement from Genera PR, the outage was caused by the sudden shutdown of all generation plants around 12:40 p.m. on Tuesday, leading to a significant interruption in electricity service. The company said it is working with LUMA Energy, which manages transmission and distribution, to investigate the cause and begin recovery efforts.

“Our team is working immediately to bring backup units online and investigate the causes of this sudden event,” Genera PR said. LUMA Energy confirmed the incident in a separate update, saying its personnel were in “constant communication” with generation companies to safely restore power.

Later, government officials held a joint press conference to provide further details. Puerto Rico’s Energy Czar, Engineer Josué Colón, joined Health Secretary Dr. Víctor Ramos, Police Commissioner Joseph González, and representatives from LUMA and Genera PR to address the public.

Officials explained that the event originated with failures at multiple power plants and a disruption to the transmission line from Costa Sur to EcoEléctrica. The resulting cascade effect caused the entire system to collapse.

Authorities estimate that full power restoration may take between 24 to 48 hours, depending on the stability of the grid during the recovery process. The outage is affecting most homes, businesses, and public transport services across the island.