Puerto Rico experienced a massive island-wide blackout on April 16, 2025, leaving all 1.4 million customers without power just days ahead of Easter. The outage was triggered by a failure in the island’s electrical transmission system, which caused power plants to shut down in rapid succession. Luma Energy, the private company managing Puerto Rico’s power grid, reported that only 7% of service had been restored by the end of the day.
Officials estimate that power could take up to 72 hours to fully return to most customers, though the exact cause of the system failure remains under investigation. The blackout has also affected water supplies for over 328,000 people, disrupted businesses, and brought daily life on the island to a standstill. Public transportation, schools, and government services were all impacted.
Governor Jenniffer González, who cut short her vacation to address the crisis, sharply criticized Luma Energy for what she described as an unacceptable failure of critical infrastructure. She announced plans to cancel the company’s contract, although replacing it could take months.
The widespread power outage has reignited public frustration over the island’s vulnerable electrical grid, which has struggled with instability and blackouts for years, especially after Hurricane Maria in 2017. Calls for a complete overhaul of the energy system are growing louder, with many Puerto Ricans demanding long-term solutions rather than temporary fixes.
This latest blackout highlights the ongoing energy crisis in Puerto Rico and raises serious questions about accountability, infrastructure investment, and the future of energy on the island.
