Puerto Rico's islandwide blackout attributed to outdated underground cable
Luma Energy, which oversees Puerto Rico's power transmission and distribution system, said the islandwide blackout on New Year's Eve was due to the failure of an underground cable.
Luma Energy, the company in charge of Puerto Rico's power transmission and distribution system, said on Friday that the islandwide blackout on New Year's Eve was due to the failure in an underground cable that had long been out of order.
Juan Rodríguez, vice president of capital projects at Luma Energy, said that the cable is so old the company that manufactured it closed its doors 25 years ago, Puerto Rican national newspaper El Nuevo Día reported. He added that they are still investigating how exactly that cable triggered the blackout.
Half of Puerto Rico remained in the dark on New Year's Day, drawing frustration and ire from residents as it coincided with a new increase in the price of electricity attributed to rising fuel costs.
Puerto Ricans, who already pay twice as much for electricity as those in the U.S. mainland, are now paying more for unreliable service provided by an antiquated and patched-up electrical grid.
Residents in Patillas, Puerto Rico, on New Year's Eve.Xavier Garcia / Bloomberg via Getty ImagesThe grid has not been permanently rebuilt since Hurricane Maria decimated it in 2017. It remains flimsy and prone to breakdowns as outdated fossil fuel plants continue working way past their lifespan to power the grid, and distribution cables fail to transmit electricity. These have caused power outages to become longer and more recurrent.
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