On New Year’s Eve, most of Puerto Rico was plunged into darkness as a massive blackout swept across the island. The outage, which began late in the evening, left millions of residents without power as they prepared to ring in the new year.
The blackout was reportedly caused by a fire at a power plant in the southern city of Guayanilla. The fire caused a significant drop in the island’s power supply, leading to widespread outages. The outage affected nearly 1.5 million customers, according to the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA).
The blackout comes as Puerto Rico continues to struggle with an unreliable and outdated power grid. The island has faced numerous power outages in recent years, including a series of major blackouts in 2019 that left residents without power for days at a time.
The latest blackout on New Year’s Eve has once again highlighted the urgent need for improvements to Puerto Rico’s power infrastructure. Many residents have expressed frustration and anger over the outage, with some taking to social media to share their experiences and demand action from local authorities.
In response to the blackout, Puerto Rico Governor Pedro Pierluisi declared a state of emergency and called on PREPA to prioritize restoring power to affected areas. The governor also urged residents to conserve energy and take precautions to ensure their safety during the outage.
As Puerto Ricans continue to grapple with the aftermath of the New Year’s Eve blackout, questions remain about the island’s ability to prevent future outages and ensure a reliable power supply for its residents. The incident serves as a stark reminder of the challenges faced by Puerto Rico in rebuilding its infrastructure and securing a sustainable energy future.
