Puerto Rico was beaten by another large blackout on Wednesday, leaving the United States in the dark for the second time in four months, officials said.
Local, genera and Luma authorities recorded system failures around 12:40 pm which affected the island service throughout the island.
In posting on xLuma Energy said it took two to three days to recover the 90% customer service – and that the priority for now is to return power to critical facilities, such as the Centro Médico Hospital in the San Juan capital.
Tourist partners use their cellphones to turn on the streets in Viejo San Juan during a large -scale power outage that affects the entire island on April 16, 2025 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The cause of power outages is being investigated after all 1.4 million island residents lost power on Wednesday.
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Private electricity companies, which are responsible for power transmission on the island, said large -blackouts seemed to be caused by a combination of factors, including “failure in the protection system as an initial trigger” and vegetation on the transmission line between the Campaleche and Manatí regions, along the north coast of the island.
“This sequence of failure triggered a series of events that resulted in blackouts throughout the island,” Luma said in the statement.
People -people have dinner at Santurce Chinese restaurants during a large -scale power outage that affects the entire island on April 16, 2025 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The cause of power outages is being investigated after all 1.4 million island residents lost power on Wednesday.
Jose Jimenez/Getty Images
The blackout affects 1.4 million customers luma energy, impacting on 76% of the customer base, the company said.
“This event once again highlighted the fragility of the electricity system, something shown by Luma since the beginning of its operation,” the company said in the statement. “We remain committed to turning it into a safer and more reliable system for all customers in Puerto Riko.”
Cars drive along the Ramon Baldorioty de Castro highway which is influenced by a large -scale power outage that affects the entire island on April 16, 2025 in San Juan, Puerto Riko. The cause of power outages is being investigated after all 1.4 million island residents lost power on Wednesday.
Jose Jimenez/Getty Images
Earlier on that day, Luma Energy said the Palo Seco Factory, which is located right outside San Juan, returned online around 3 pm, “which is a key step towards system recovery.”
Representatives of Ritchie Torres (D-NY) claimed in a social media post that more than 400,000 Puerto Rico without electricity.
In this photo posted to social media, people get off the train and walk in San Juan, Puerto Rico, after a blackout occurred on April 16, 2025.
@Gianndelrey/x
“Three million Americans in Puerto Riko have long been rejected by affordable and reliable electricity – despite paying the highest levels of utility in the United States,” Torres said. “Access to the reliable strength – the basic rights received by most Americans – they are beyond the reach of millions of people on the island. As we are talking about, more than 400,000 Puerto Rico people without electricity in the richest countries in the world. That is a national disgrace.”
This blackout is the latest from a series of significant blackouts that have interfered with the island in recent years, following the destruction of Hurricane Mary in 2017, which destroyed most of the electricity network. Governor Jenniffer González, who was traveling, stated that officials “worked diligently” to complete the blackout.
In December 31, 2024, photo files, residential buildings and a hotel were seen in the darkness in San Juan, Puerto Rico after the main power outage hit the island.
Ricardo Arduengo/AFP via Getty Images, File
The infrastructure of the island’s aging has become a source of continuous frustration for the population, which often faces blackouts and some of the highest levels of electricity in the US
In this October 1521, submitting a photo, a protester line during the demonstration against Luma Energy in what the organizer called all Puerto Riko against Luma, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Thousands lined up to Las Americas Expressway (PR52) to voice their displeasure with private companies.
Angel Valentin/Getty Images, File
In December, Puerto Rico suffered an island blackout on New Year’s Eve when the failure of the underground electricity channel plunged the island into the dark for two days.
Power outages have become very common in Puerto Riko so that many residents have installed solar panels and batteries in their homes and businesses. The ongoing electricity network instability has also caused protests, by criticizing Luma, which took over the transmission and power distribution in 2021.
ABC News’ Jack Moore contributes to this report.