Aging Power Grid Infrastructure Causes Island-Wide Blackout in Puerto Rico | WPN World People News

A large-scale power outage occurred in Puerto Rico on April 16 (local time), with all power plants shutting down at one point, plunging the entire island into darkness and leaving 1.4 million customers without electricity. Reports indicate that power restoration may take up to 72 hours, highlighting the aging state of the island’s power grid infrastructure.

The blackout began shortly after 12:00 p.m. on April 16. Genera, the power generation company, stated that the complete halt of all power plants led to the widespread outage. LUMA Energy, the power transmission and distribution operator, said full restoration could take as long as 72 hours. The sudden, island-wide blackout caused major disruptions, including traffic chaos, the shutdown of the urban train system, severe congestion in city streets, and the forced closure of shopping centers and malls. Around 1.4 million households across the island were left without power, triggering widespread public frustration.

Puerto Rico, home to approximately 3.2 million people, has a poverty rate as high as 40%. Since Hurricane Maria devastated the island in 2017, Puerto Rico has faced persistent problems with its electrical grid. Major blackouts have become increasingly common in recent years, with the most recent one occurring on New Year’s Eve, December 31. The recurrence of such outages—as seen again on April 16—underscores the urgent need to address the island’s deteriorating power infrastructure.