Tens of thousands of customers in Puerto Rico are still without power a week after Tropical Storm Ernesto swept through the U.S. territory. Authorities have assured the public that electricity will be restored to all customers by the upcoming weekend.
The National Weather Service has issued an excessive heat advisory due to the current “dangerously hot and humid conditions” in the region.
As of Tuesday afternoon, more than 40,000 out of nearly 1.5 million customers were still without power. Officials have stated that all schools are expected to have electricity restored by late Tuesday, and approximately 80% of emergency medical clinics, excluding hospitals, have regained power.
The town of Luquillo, a popular tourist destination on the northeast coast, reported the highest number of outages, with 30% of clients still without power. Other affected areas include Fajardo, Río Grande, and Yabucoa.
Luma Energy, the private consortium responsible for power transmission and distribution in Puerto Rico, has been working around the clock to address the outages. The company cited a deficit in generation capacity in addition to storm-related issues.
Despite efforts to restore power, up to 70,000 clients could face temporary outages by late Tuesday, with an additional 90,000 already impacted by a manual reduction in power to the island's grid on Monday.
Since taking over operations in June 2021, Luma Energy has faced criticism for its handling of the power grid, especially in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Ernesto. Calls to cancel Luma's contract have been growing, with concerns about the company's efficiency and reliability.
Despite challenges, Governor Pedro Pierluisi has expressed support for Luma's response efforts, noting that 96% of the population had electricity restored within three days of the storm. However, frustrations persist among residents, particularly in a region where many struggle with poverty and lack access to backup power sources.
Puerto Rico's Energy Bureau has raised questions about the increase in average outage duration per customer from fiscal year 2023 to 2024. Luma's director of reliability and distribution automation emphasized that improvements are underway, though establishing a stable energy infrastructure may take time.
The island's power grid remains vulnerable following the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria in 2017, highlighting the urgent need for more reliable energy sources and long-term infrastructure investments.
